Hawaiian Electric Industries completed repairs to a critical 138‑kV transmission line that runs from Leeward Oahu to Windward Oahu, Waimanalo, and East Honolulu on April 30, 2026. The line, damaged by a February 8 storm, had been out of service for several months, disrupting power delivery to thousands of customers across the island.
The repair required a specialized heavy‑lift helicopter to access the ridge of the Koolau Range. Crews built a temporary path and rope line to reach the damaged steel structure, removed the compromised equipment, and installed temporary wooden poles before restoring the line’s high‑voltage capacity. The work was briefly halted by Kona Low storms in March, but crews resumed and finished the job by the end of April.
With the line back online, the 138‑kV system operates in its normal configuration, providing three high‑voltage routes that back each other up. The restoration improves grid reliability for communities on Windward Oahu, East Honolulu, and Waimanalo, and reduces the risk of future outages in the region.
"Our crew leaders say this was one of the hardest jobs of their careers. Our guys have been working on this since February when it first went down, and even after dealing with a couple of major storms that pushed them physically, they came right back to finish the job," said Jason Cosma, Hawaiian Electric superintendent of transmission and distribution operations.
The 138‑kV line is one of three that deliver power to Windward Oahu, East Honolulu, and Waimanalo, and also serves Hawaii Kai and parts of East Honolulu. The redundancy provided by these multiple lines is essential for grid reliability, and the repair restores that critical safety net.
Hawaiian Electric is already undertaking projects such as the Kalaeloa Overhead Power Line Replacement Project, scheduled to begin in September 2026, and the Downtown Honolulu Network Upgrades through 2030, aimed at enhancing resilience and reducing outage risks across the islands.
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