Hawaiian Electric says power has been restored to all customers in downtown Honolulu

Updated: 8:15 p.m

Hawaiian Electric said power was restored to all downtown Honolulu customers as of 8 p.m

The company said in a news release that power began arriving to downtown circuits at about 7:20 p.m., about nine hours after the outage began for most customers.

“We know this has been an extremely difficult day for our customers in the downtown and Chinatown area, especially businesses and government offices. We thank them for their patience and extend our sincere apologies for this disruption,” said Darren Bay, a spokesman for Hawaiian Electric.

Company officials said crews and technicians will remain on standby throughout the night and will monitor the downtown grid and the Iwili substation where equipment was damaged by the event.

Hawaiian Electric said customers should monitor the company’s social media accounts and local news media for any changes in the status of the downtown grid, especially before heading to work Friday.

7:20 pm

Hawaiian Electric said power has been restored to some customers and crews are still working on repairs to safely restore power to the remaining affected customers.

7 pm

Hawaiian Electric said crews were still working this evening and expected power to be restored within an additional two hours.

4 pm

Hawaiian Electric said repair crews are making progress and expects to restore power to the downtown Honolulu area by early evening.

“We apologize for the disruption caused by this outage and know this presents a particular challenge for businesses and government offices,” Darren Bay, a spokesman for Hawaiian Electric, said in a news release. “Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power and get everyone back by early evening.”

>> PHOTOS: Power outage shuts down downtown Honolulu

Most of Honolulu’s downtown area is served by a network of underground cables that run under the streets, according to the company. This network was originally built in the 1960s and 1970s, and although sections have been modernized and maintained over the decades, much of the original cables are still in service, Hawaiian Electric said.

1:15 pm

Hawaiian Electric says a power outage in downtown Honolulu that has clogged traffic and closed businesses and government offices will likely last until the late afternoon or early evening.

The power outage, which began around 10 a.m., is affecting about 900 customers throughout the downtown area, including Chinatown, the state Capitol, the U.S. Post Office, state courthouses and the federal building, company officials said in an afternoon news release. Power is out at traffic lights throughout the area and police officers are directing traffic at several intersections.

“The incident resulted from a series of events that began at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when a power outage affected the area between Bishop and Mililani Streets downtown,” officials said in the statement. “This outage damaged an underground cable that supplies power to the downtown area.

“Then, shortly after 10am on Thursday, equipment at the Iwili substation experienced a power overload. This caused a wider power outage.

The power outage affects about “900 customer accounts, but many of them are office buildings and prime-metered residential units with hundreds of tenants,” they said.

Hawaii Electric crews are working to repair cables in underground vaults below the streets and on damaged equipment at the Iwili substation, according to the news release. “Crews expect to complete repairs and restore power by late afternoon or early evening, assuming no additional challenges are encountered,” officials said.

Previous coverage

A power outage in downtown Honolulu closed several government offices and knocked down several traffic lights in the area this morning.

City officials remind the public to treat dark traffic lights as a stop along the way.

As of 11 a.m., most traffic lights in the downtown and Chinatown areas, which stretch from River Streets to Alakia Streets, and between Nimitz Expressway and Beretania Avenue, were out of service.

Honolulu police are helping direct traffic at major intersections, according to city officials.

This morning a power outage occurred throughout downtown Honolulu affecting several government buildings including but not limited to the Hawaii State Capitol, Judicial Branch, Kalanimoku, Kamamalu, Keoniana, and Government Office Tower #1 buildings. Capitol and Kekaunaha, according to the Department of Accountancy. And public services.

State offices in the affected buildings will be closed to the public until further notice, DAGS said.

HECO officials said drivers must obey all rules of the road, and drive with patience and dignity.

Hawaiian Electric said around 10 a.m. that repair crews were on site in downtown Honolulu.