Power restoration for 600 Chinatown customers pushed to this morning
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaiian Electric crews worked along Bethel Street during a power outage in Chinatown on Tuesday.
UPDATE, 9:30 p.m.
Hawaiian Electric said Chinatown power restoration is now estimated for 8 a.m. today.
The utility said tonight crews are working through the night to restore power to approximately 600 customers in the Chinatown area who have been without power since a fire damaged underground power cables and other equipment Monday night.
Crews now anticipate restoring power to all remaining customers by this morning, unless additional unexpected challenges are encountered.
HECO previously estimated complete power restoration for noon today then pushed the time to 6 p.m. and then midnight with the possibility of today.
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Hawaiian Electric Co. officials said that power may not be restored until midnight today or Thursday for about 600 Chinatown customers who have been without electrical service since Monday night.
In an update this morning, HECO said over 50 crew members and technicians are working to restore power for the remaining 600 of about 3,ooo customers who lost service around 9 p.m. Monday. It was the second major outage for the downtown Honolulu and Chinatown areas in a week.
HECO crews restored service for about 2,400 customers last night.
Company officials said in a news release today that after service was restored to those customers, “crews discovered that significant portions of the remaining damaged cables and the ducts carrying conduits under the street had melted and fused, requiring painstaking work to identify, remove and replace the damaged wiring.”
HECO previously estimated complete power restoration for noon and then 6 p.m. today.
The estimated time of restoration for the affected customers is now midnight, HECO said. However, officials said, if “additional challenges” arise, service may not be restored until Thursday.
Some customers may have power restored before midnight, Hawaiian Electric said.
RELATED STORY: Downtown Honolulu is plagued by another power outage
The affected customers include small businesses and restaurants in Chinatown, along with several larger commercial buildings.
The outage follows another incident last week where downtown Honolulu and surrounding areas experienced power interruptions, causing significant disruptions to local businesses and residents.
