Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura told the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday that the company did not de-energize its power lines while anticipating high winds ahead of the deadly Maui wildfires because the pre-emptive shutdown of power lines is not part of its protocols.
Kimura, along with representatives from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission and the Hawaii State Energy Office, were questioned by Committee members about the events leading up to fires and how they could have been prevented.
When asked why the utility company did not de-energize its power lines while preparing for high winds of more than 60 miles (96.56 kilometres) per hour, Kimura told lawmakers the company “had other protocols in place.”
She said the company’s protocol relied on the closure of problem electrical circuits and not re-energizing them.
The company had looked into pre-emptive shutdowns of power lines but had determined it was “not an appropriate fit,” Kimura testified, as reported by Reuters.
She reportedly added that a fire caused by power lines that fell in high winds at about 6.30am was believed to be “100% contained” at 9am.
A second fire began in the same area about six hours later, the cause of which has not been determined, that went on to raze the town of Lahaina.
Hawaiian Electric faces lawsuits and proposed class action lawsuits which claim the utility was responsible for the fires that broke out across the island of Maui on August 8 and resulted in the deaths of at least 115 people due to the mismanagement of its electrical equipment.
The company’s stock has tumbled nearly 70% since the fires, closing at US$12.46 on Thursday.
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