Hawaiian Electric continues to advance wildfire safety efforts Operational changes, new technology and Public Safety Power Shutoff lead to estimated 60% reduction in wildfire risk from utility equipment

Hawaiian Electric continues to advance wildfire safety efforts
Operational changes, new technology and Public Safety Power Shutoff
lead to estimated 60% reduction in wildfire risk from utility equipment
HONOLULU, Nov. 11, 2024 – Since launching its expanded wildfire safety strategy one year
ago, Hawaiian Electric has made significant improvements that have reduced the wildfire risk
from its equipment. Its actions include a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program, replacing
and testing thousands of utility poles, upgrading miles of overhead power lines, clearing
instrusive vegetation near electrical equipment, and installing weather stations and AI-assisted
high definition video cameras.
“There is no question that wildfires remain a persistent threat to our communities and we are
taking that threat seriously. We continue to invest in new technology and upgrades to our
infrastructure to make the grid more resilient, improve reliability and address growing risks from
wildfires and other hazards,” said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief
operations officer.
The upgrades are part of Hawaiian Electricʻs multi-year grid resilience program to harden
against wildfires, hurricanes, tsunami and flooding, and to adapt to impacts of climate change.
Hawaiian Electric has been working with Filsinger Energy Partners, a nationally recognized
independent energy advisory firm that specializes in wildfire mitigation strategies and risk
modeling, since early 2024. Filsinger estimates that the various wildfire risk mitigation actions
and programs implemented by Hawaiian Electric have reduced the risk of wildfire from the
utility’s equipment by approximately 60%.
Hawaiian Electric is spending about $120 million in 2024 to make wildfire safety improvements
in four key areas:
Foundational Work:
• Developed wildfire risk maps based on the potential of ignition by utility equipment.
• Conducted inspections of circuits in high-risk areas to prioritize hardening work.
• Continued ongoing vegetation management efforts in areas adjacent to power lines on
all islands, spending $100 million in the last four years.
• Installing 3,534 fire-safe fuses to reduce the risk of ignition.
• Installing 1,071 new lightning arrestors to further protect equipment from lightning
strikes.
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Operational Changes:
• Launched a Public Safety Power Shutoff program. Under this program, Hawaiian Electric
may preemptively shut off power in areas that are at high risk of wildfires during periods
of forecast high winds and dry conditions.
• Started deployment of spotters in risk areas during hazardous weather conditions.
• Set circuit breakers to automatically shut off power in risk areas when a disturbance is
detected on a circuit.
Situational Awareness:
• Installed a network of 53 weather stations in wildfire-prone areas on four islands to
provide key information about wind, temperature and humidity to help the company
better predict and respond to fire weather conditions. The weather stations, mounted on
utility poles, provide meteorological data that will help the company decide whether to
activate and deactivate a PSPS.
• Started installation of a network of 78 artificial intelligence-assisted high-definition video
cameras to help quickly detect wildfires.
Grid Hardening:
• Replaced and upgraded 2,202 utility poles.
• Replaced more than 16 miles of older overhead lines with new, more resilient lines.
• Installed 4,514 single-phase fault current indicators, which allow crews to more quickly
locate disturbances on lines in high-risk areas.
In addition, Hawaiian Electric is working with community partners on wildfire safety projects,
such as the construction of a firebreak at Leihōkū Elementary in Wai‘anae. The project was
completed in August and included the removal of more than 1,000 feet of kiawe trees and
grasses on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property.
Hawaiian Electric continues to adapt its Wildfire Safety Strategy to address the elevated risks in
Hawaiʻi. The company continues to seek grants and federal funding for safety and resilience
programs and is developing a longer-term wildfire safety plan, which will be filed with the Public
Utilities Commission in January 2025.