Hawaiian Electric provides update on wildfire safety strategy
Hawaiian Electric reported steps it has taken as part of its Wildfire Safety Strategy, particularly in areas that are considered at elevated risk for wildfires.
“With the events of Aug. 8 fresh in our minds, safety remains our top priority, and as drought conditions continue, Hawaii is seeing heightened risks for wildfires across the state, as we have seen this week with a fire near Mililani. We are building upon our current strategy and implementing new and expanded practices to further reduce the risk of wildfires,” Jim Alberts, senior vice president and chief operations officer of Hawaiian Electric, said.
The first phase of the company’s three-phase Wildfire Safety Strategy includes the following measures:
• In the event of red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service, which indicate a combination of warm temperatures, low humidity and strong, sustained winds, the company will deploy spotters to strategic locations in risk areas to watch for ignition.
• If a fault or disturbance is detected on a circuit, power lines in risk areas shut off automatically until crews visually confirm that it is safe to restore power.
• Over time, the company will deploy more advanced sensors, cameras, and other technology to reduce the likelihood of longer outages and the need for visual observation.
The second phase, which includes work that is underway or will soon be underway to harden the grid against extreme weather events, includes:
• Expanding inspections of poles and lines, using helicopters, drones, infrared and ground inspection.
• Addressing sag and tension in lines and adding spacers to reduce the potential for sparking.
• Switching from single-strand copper, which can become brittle over time, to aluminum wire or covered conductor in some areas.
• Replacing wood poles with steel poles in some areas.
• Continuing vegetation management efforts adjacent to power lines.
• Using fault current indicators, quickly identifying the location of faults.
• Installing cameras and weather sensors in critical areas.
Also, Hawaiian Electric is advancing work on its $190 million grid resilience plan to harden against wildfires, hurricanes, tsunami and flooding. Half of this multi-year program is to be paid by the federal government with the other half matched by customers, pending approval by the Public Utilities Commission.
The third phase looks longer term and focuses on:
• Providing more precision in wildfire-focused weather forecasting and risk-modeling.
• Undergrounding power lines in strategic at-risk areas.
• Expanding use of covered power lines, fast-acting fuses and fire-resistant poles and equipment
• Seeking support for expanded hazard tree removal, wider rights-of-way, and rights of access for clearing vegetation that threatens equipment.
• Continuing collaboration with fire departments and emergency management agencies to refine the overall strategy.
• Seeking more federal funding for wildfire defense programs.
Further, Hawaiian Electric is in discussions with government, emergency response and community stakeholders to determine how a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program can be implemented. A PSPS would shut off power in certain areas before extreme weather events as an additional means to reduce the risk of a wildfire. But the company notes that as the phases of the Wildfire Safety Strategy are executed, PSPS could become the tool of last resort, not the first option.
