Hawaiian Electric is asking the Public Utilities Commission to approve an estimated $190 million investment in building resilience into its grid — and a rate increase for customers in order to pay for it.
The five-year proposed Climate Adaptation Transmission and Distribution Resilience Program would include upgrades to its system to better withstand severe events, including weather events caused by climate change.
The money would go towards improving systems to better withstand severe weather events and enable a faster recovery.
Hawaiian Electric wants to add less than a dollar a month to customers’ bills to pay for it.
For a residential customer using 500-kilowatt hours a month, the company estimates a $0.33 increase on Oʻahu, a $0.71 increase in Maui County and a $0.86 increase on Hawaiʻi Island.
It is also looking at federal funds to offset the costs.
Some possible improvements include hardening utility poles, and better tree management to prevent them from falling on lines during a storm.
