KIUC Restoration Workforce Grows to 250; North Shore Restoration Could Begin Later This Week

LĪHUʻE, KAUAʻI — Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) restored power to approximately 80 additional customers over the past 24 hours as crews continue working across the island to repair damage caused by Hurricane Lowell.

Roughly 82% of KIUC’s members have now been restored. Pocket outages remain in portions of Kapa‘a, Wailua, Līhu‘e, Po‘ipū, Kōloa, Kalāheo, Hanapēpē, Kaumakani and Waimea. Kōke‘e also remains without power. Of note, the North Shore from Moloaa to Hā‘ena remains at 0% restored. 

More information on restoration efforts and links to additional resources are available on KIUC’s Hurricane Lowell updates webpage.

Mutual Aid: An additional 80 mutual aid personnel were deployed today, bringing the total number of personnel assigned to field operations to approximately 250. Crews are focusing on the extensive North Shore restoration effort as well as remaining pocket outages elsewhere on the island.

KIUC is utilizing its existing contractors — Premium Utility Contractor, Asplundh and Wiggins Tech — along with mutual aid partners Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), Southern California Edison and HMS Construction, Inc. to complete restoration work as safely and quickly as possible.

North Shore Update: KIUC line crews, working alongside HECO personnel, continued repairing damaged lines, poles and electrical equipment on the North Shore today.

Based on progress to date, KIUC anticipates that the first North Shore restorations could occur in portions of Princeville and Hanalei Wednesday, although any number of factors – including weather – could impact this estimate. Once those first restorations are made, we can better estimate a restoration timeline for the rest of the North Shore.

These restoration estimates are based on current conditions and may change if crews encounter additional damage or other unforeseen challenges.

Equipment and Supplies: KIUC currently has adequate inventories of poles, conductor, transformers and other equipment needed to continue repair and restoration work for the foreseeable future. Additional orders are being placed to replenish inventory and help ensure restoration work can continue without interruption due to supply shortages.

Generation Resources: All of Kaua‘i’s large conventional generating units at Port Allen and Kapaia have returned to pre-storm operational status and are sufficient to meet the island’s anticipated electricity needs for the foreseeable future.

The Tesla Solar+Storage facility and AES Lāwa‘i Solar+Storage facility are also operational and available to help meet islandwide electricity demand.

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