Hawaiian Electric Industries : Lightning strikes cause dozens of outages across Oahu

Published: 2026-05-16 04:03:05 ET HE

Published on 05/16/2026 at 04:03 am EDT

Release Date: 5/15/2026

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HONOLULU, May 15, 2026 - Lightning strikes caused dozens out outages today across Oahu. Crews restored about 5,000 customers throughout the day; about 32,000 were without service as of 9 p.m., the majority in West Oahu.

A lightning strike ignited a fire in the switchyard at Kahe Power Plant shortly after 3 p.m., damaging equipment. Crews had to wait for the fire to be extinguished and will make repairs once the equipment is cool enough to safely work around.

Once the equipment cools, crews will begin repairs and hope to restore service to most West Oʽahu customers by midnight.

Restoration efforts were delayed throughout the day due to continuous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, which are unusual and make it especially dangerous for crews working on equipment and substations.

Disclaimer

HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. published this content on May 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 16, 2026 at 08:02 UTC.