Hawaiian Electric outlines wildfire-mitigation strategy; PUC solicits public feedback

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held a public informational meeting on docket number 2025-0156 on April 20, 2025, to receive Hawaiian Electric’s presentation of its wildfire mitigation plan and public comments from Maui and Hawaii Island stakeholders.

Hawaiian Electric described a four-pillar strategy—grid hardening, situational awareness, operational practices, and stakeholder/community partnerships—aimed at reducing ignitions from utility transmission and distribution infrastructure. Mark Asano, a Hawaiian Electric representative, said the utility’s plan focuses on reducing or minimizing ignitions tied to electric infrastructure and estimating costs and schedules to carry out mitigation work.

The plan identifies high- and medium-risk areas on each island the company serves (Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Hawaii Island) and proposes a mix of covered conductors, targeted undergrounding, pole replacements, enhanced weather monitoring, camera systems with AI detection, faster relay protection (“fast trip”), increased inspections including drone use, vegetation and hazard-tree removal, and public-safety power shutoffs (PSPS) as last-resort measures.

Hawaiian Electric said about half of its distribution lines are already underground and that it will conduct a comprehensive study this year to identify cost-effective locations for additional undergrounding; the company said it is starting scoping and design for an undergrounding project in Lahaina tied to rebuild efforts. Asano described situational-awareness investments including additional weather stations in high- and medium-risk areas and cameras that can notify first responders of smoke detection.

On operational practices, Hawaiian Electric said it has deployed faster protective relay settings (“fast trip”) and will expand asset inspections and drone use to identify conditions that could lead to ignition. On PSPS, the company said triggers to begin close monitoring include National Weather Service advisories such as red flag warnings, fire weather watches or high-wind warnings. Asano said a PSPS could be considered when forecast gusts reach about 45 mph combined with relative humidity at or below about 45 percent; if a PSPS is implemented, crews inspect infrastructure before restoring power and restoration can be lengthy if damage is found.

The Division of Consumer Advocacy (the Consumer Advocate) said it will independently review Hawaiian Electric’s filing and evaluate the plan for safety, reliability, cost-effectiveness and equity. Michelangelo, Executive Director of the Division of Consumer Advocacy in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, said the office will conduct discovery, submit analysis and recommendations to the PUC, and encouraged public input to inform that review.

In public comment, Matt Chalker of Wildfire Safety Advocates of Waikoloa praised the existence of a statewide plan but asked for more circuit-level specificity for Waikoloa Village on Hawai‘i Island. Chalker noted a transmission circuit near Waikoloa ranked fourth statewide in the plan’s consequence scoring and said those lines are 69,000-volt circuits about 4.86 miles long. He told the PUC that covered conductor technology is not manufactured for the 69 kV level noted in the filing and that undergrounding that circuit would be costly (he estimated about $60 million). He also warned that Waikoloa’s water supply depends on four wells, only two of which have 24-hour backup generators, a factor he said should be considered before PSPS is implemented.

Commission Chair Leo Asunchen reminded attendees that the PUC’s review will follow the docket schedule: the target date to close the current round of information requests to Hawaiian Electric is July 3, 2025; statements of position from the Consumer Advocate and intervenors are due June 30, 2025; and Hawaiian Electric’s reply statements are due August 15, 2025. The PUC said it will evaluate the plan against guidelines in Order No. 41531 and other public-interest factors before issuing a written decision.

No formal votes or regulatory decisions were taken at the meeting; commissioners and the Consumer Advocate will continue written review and discovery through the docket timeline.

Reporting note: direct quotes in this article come from the meeting transcript of the PUC public informational meeting for docket 2025-0156 on April 20, 2025. Specific technical claims (for example, the 69,000-volt rating of a Waikoloa circuit, the estimate of ~$60 million for undergrounding, and the stated PSPS thresholds) were attributed in the meeting to Hawaiian Electric and to public commenter Matt Chalker and are reported here as stated to the PUC.