Hawaii completes assessment of Oahu energy system and critical infrastructure

The Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) recently concluded work on an initiative called the O‘ahu Energy System and Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability and Resiliency Assessment.

The assessment involved a comprehensive hazard and risk assessment of O’ahu’s critical energy infrastructure (CEI), including major supply, distribution, and demand networks. It also identified interdependencies with community lifelines, such as hospitals, first responders, water/wastewater, or shelters. The assessment was funded by the Federal Energy Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The data that was collected during the project was used to create a GIS tool to view the energy system on O‘ahu. The tool enables it to visually depict community lifeline impacts of CEI node loss, develop, and prioritize mitigation actions and strategies that enhance energy resilience, and reduce the energy vulnerability of Hawaii and O‘ahu residents and property.

The results from the project will be used to harmonize and update other state plans, such as the Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Also, the HSEO is using this initiative to facilitate an update to the Hawaii State Energy Security Plan (SESP) and address specific plan requirements to assess risks to energy infrastructure and cross-sector interdependencies.

Further, a second phase of the project has been proposed and selected for BRIC Set-Aside funding for the counties of Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii. The hope is to start this next phase in 2024.