KIUC Continues Repair Work and Restores an Additional 12,000 Customers

LĪHUʻE, KAUAʻI — Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative was able to restore more than 12,000 additional customers over the past 24 hours in portions of Anahola, Kapa‘a, Wailua, Līhu‘e, and Po‘ipū. As of last night, Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital, Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital, and Wilcox Medical Center are energized. At the time of this release, approximately 66% of KIUC’s members have been restored, compared to 32% from yesterday’s report.

Latest Activity

Critical Infrastructure Restoration: Repairs to circuits in Līhu‘e that feed the Judiciary complex, Kaua‘i Police Department, and Rice Street are ongoing. It is possible these areas could be restored this evening. KIUC also worked on the Līhu‘e Airport circuit and anticipate the airport will be restored this evening as well.

North Shore Damage Assessments: Crews focused on clearing vegetation and repairs to transmission lines from Kapa‘a to the north shore. This work is a critical first step in restoring the north shore. Once the transmission system is repaired, work can begin to address damage to the distribution system. Hawaiian Electric crews will begin damage assessments to the north shore distribution system beginning tomorrow. There is no estimate on the timeframe for restoration of the north shore, however KIUC will be dedicating 10 crews to north shore restoration beginning next week. 

Debris Clearing: A KIUC team was deployed to conduct site assessments and assist with coordination amongst other utilities to determine priority for safely resolving these issues.  They are also, when safely able to do so, working with members to temporarily address access issues for safe access to their homes.

Additional Information

Mutual Assistance: Support for the recovery effort is being provided by Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), Southern California Electric and HMS Construction. The total mutual aid effort involves nearly 100 personnel once all arrive on island, supplementing KIUC’s own line crews and contractors. HECO crews are already arriving, and others are expected to arrive this weekend. 

To help members understand the process of restoring the grid from a catastrophic weather event like Hurricane Lowell, an infographic was posted to KIUC’s website at this link: Restoring Power After a Catastrophic Weather Event | Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative

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