HECO Power Outage – Chinatown 6/20
Posted on Jun 18, 2024 in Hot Topics, Main4 P.M. UPDATE: All Chinatown customers restored
HONOLULU, June 20, 2024 – At approximately 3:45 p.m., Hawaiian Electric crews completed the process of restoring power to about 600 customers in Chinatown who have been out of service since a fire damaged underground power cables Monday night.
This completes all the major repairs needed to restore customers in the Chinatown and downtown Honolulu areas that were impacted by Monday’s outage. Any customers who are still out of power should contact Hawaiian Electric’s Oʻahu trouble line at 1-855-304-1212.
9 A.M. UPDATE: 2,400 customers restored, work continues for remaining 600 customers
HONOLULU, June 20, 2024 – Shortly after 8 a.m, Hawaiian Electric crews restored power to 2,400 customers in Chinatown, parts of downtown Honolulu and Nuʻuanu who lost power last night due to an arc flash inside a manhole.
That arc flash set back work to restore power to 600 Chinatown customers, who have been out of power since a fire damaged underground power cables Monday night. Repair work resumed this morning and crews are working to complete the restoration process as soon as possible.
An arc flash occurs when high-voltage electricity is discharged between two conductors. The flash was smothered by a special heat-resistant blanket the crews used to cover cables and equipment while they work in the restricted space underground. Four Hawaiian Electric technicians were inside the manhole at the time but were not hurt.
7 A.M. UPDATE: Arc flash inside manhole sets back repairs, some customers may be restored this morning
HONOLULU, June 20, 2024 – An arc flash inside a manhole last night set back repair efforts in Chinatown and forced Hawaiian Electric to shut off power to about 3,000 customers in Chinatown and parts of downtown and Nu‘uanu. Four Hawaiian Electric technicians were inside the manhole at the time but were not hurt.
An arc flash occurs when high-voltage electricity is discharged between two conductors. The flash was smothered by a special heat-resistant blanket the crews used to cover cables and equipment while they work in the restricted space underground.
Once the power was shut off about 10:30 p.m., crews began investigating the cause of the arc flash, which may have occurred in a splice connecting two high-voltage cables. Repairs are continuing this morning and it is possible some customers will have their power restored by mid-morning.
“We know how frustrating this is and we know customers have run out of patience but the safety of our workers is the priority and we’re not going to send anyone into a situation where they could get hurt,” said Jim Alberts, senior vice president and chief of operations of Hawaiian Electric. “Last night was a setback but because our workers carefully planned out their work and took precautions no one got hurt. We’re putting every available resource on the job but making repairs in a dark, cramped space underground with energized equipment is one of the most hazardous jobs in our company and we have to plan out the work so we can do it safely.”
9:30 P.M. UPDATE: Crews make significant progress, power restored to 2,400 Chinatown customers
HONOLULU, June 18, 2024 – Hawaiian Electric crews tonight made significant progress, restoring power at 9:10 p.m. to approximately 2,400 customers in the Chinatown area. Crews will continue to work through the night to complete repairs on underground power cables and other equipment damaged in a fire Monday night.
Approximately 600 customers remain out of service. Their estimated time of restoration is 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The fire burned four underground circuits, comprised of a total of 12 underground high-voltage cables, in the area between the intersection of King and Bethel streets and King and Alakea streets. Crews tonight completed the process of removing and replacing damaged cables that serve the majority of the affected customers.
Repair crews will continue to rotate in shifts so the restoration work can continue until the repairs are complete and service restored.
2:30 P.M. UPDATE: Chinatown outage to continue overnight as crews repair extensive damage to underground system
HONOLULU, June 18, 2024 – Hawaiian Electric crews will work overnight to repair underground power cables and other equipment damaged in a fire Monday night that left approximately 3,000 customers in the Chinatown area without power.
The estimated time of restoration is noon Wednesday.
Crews today determined the damage from the fire in a manhole was extensive and will require lengthy and complex repairs that need to be done in a restricted space below the street.
The fire burned four underground circuits, comprised of a total of 12 underground high-voltage cables, in the area between the intersection of King and Bethel streets and King and Alakea streets. Those sections of the cables need to be pulled out and replaced because they have been damaged beyond repair.
Repair crews will rotate in shifts so the restoration work can continue until the repairs are complete and service restored.
9 A.M. UPDATE: Repair crews continue restoration work to restore power to Chinatown, parts of downtown
HONOLULU, June 18, 2024 – Hawaiian Electric crews continue to work on restoring electric service to customers in the Chinatown area and other portions of downtown Honolulu who lost power shortly before 9 p.m. Monday. The outage resulted from a fire that damaged underground cables in several locations. Approximately 3,000 customers are out of power.
Crews hope to start restoring power to some areas by early to mid-afternoon. The company will continue to issue updates on the progress of repairs.
This outage does not include as much of downtown Honolulu as the outage that occurred on June 13 and most office buildings, including government buildings and courthouses, have power.
6 A.M. UPDATE: Repair crews working to restore
power to Chinatown, parts of downtown
HONOLULU, June 18, 2024 – Hawaiian Electric crews today are working to restore electric service to customers in the Chinatown area and other portions of downtown Honolulu who lost power shortly before 9 p.m. Monday. The outage resulted from a fire that damaged underground cables in several locations. Approximately 3,000 customers are out of power.
This outage does not include as much of downtown Honolulu as the outage that occurred on June 13 and most office buildings, including government buildings and courthouses, have power.
Crews hope to have power restored to most areas by early afternoon and the company will continue to issue updates on the progress of repairs.