(BIVN) – The effort to restore power to thousands across Hawaiʻi continued Monday, following the impacts of Hurricane Lala over the weekend.
Hawaiian Electric says as of 7 a.m. on August 17, about 39,400 customers remain without power on the Big Island, part of the approximately 117,300 customers without power statewide.
The majority of the Hawaiʻi island outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hāmākua and South Hilo, the utility company says.
“Yesterday, crews repaired three major transmission lines which is one of the first steps to rebuild the backbone of the electric grid and reconnect independent power producers to the system,” Hawaiian Electric reported on Monday morning. “Repairs and damage assessments will continue today with teams of engineers arriving from Oʻahu to help with restoration efforts.”
Hawaiian Electric says wind gusts reached 91 mph in Kohala on as Hurricane Lala passed to the south of the Big Island. Trees and transmission lines were toppled across the island.
Extensive damage has been confirmed on the Hawaiʻi Island power transmission system. State officials say two of Hawaiʻi Island’s largest independent power producers, Puna Geothermal Venture and Hāmākua Energy Partners, as well as wind energy providers Hāwī Renewable Development and Pakini Nui, were at one point unable to connect to the island’s grid.
“Some fuel suppliers report short-term disruptions due to power outages, particularly on Hawai‘i Island, but no long-range fuel supply concerns or damages are reported at this time,” the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office reported on Sunday. “Despite some timing issues with port damage assessments, reopenings and scheduled fuel deliveries, there is no indication or expectation of an energy shortage.”
