About 30,000 customers were without power for about 20 minutes Thursday morning when a power generation unit tripped offline, Hawaii Electric Light Co. reported.
At about 10:20 a.m., Hawaii Electric Light’s CT-4 unit went offline at the Keahole Power Plant. Automated load-shedding, which is necessary to protect the island’s power grid, was implemented immediately. Alternate generation was started and most customers were restored by 10:40 a.m. with the exception of about 1,500 customers in Hawaiian Paradise Park. The remaining customers were restored by 11:03 a.m.
“We understand that power outages are disruptive, and we sincerely apologize to our customers who were inconvenienced by this interruption,” said spokeswoman Rhea Lee-Moku. “We are working to identify the cause and will make repairs once the cause is determined.”
Most utility grids occasionally experience a sudden loss of generation. This could occur when a generator unexpectedly trips offline or when weather conditions significantly reduce the amount of energy produced from renewable resources. Loss of generation has a greater and more immediate impact on an island grid because there is no interconnection to other utility grids.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience,” Lee-Moku said. “We want to assure our customers that we have sufficient generation to continue to serve our community.”