Hawaiian Electric tells customers on Hawaii Island to resume normal power usage

April 24 (Reuters) - Hawaiian Electric on Wednesday told customers to resume using electricity a normal, ending a call to conserve power on Hawaii Island after its generation capacity dropped due to some units going out of service.

The Keahole CT-5 unit was online ahead of schedule following a major maintenance overhaul, along with the Puna Steam unit and the Kanoelehua CT-1 unit.

These units have a combined production capacity of up to 53 megawatts (MW), which could account for nearly one-third of Hawaii Island's typical peak demand of 180 MW.

Generation margins have recovered to the point that conservation can be lifted, the Honolulu-based company said.

Hawaiian Electric and independent power producer Hamakua Energy continue to troubleshoot and repair the generating units that are out of service, it said.

On March 25, it had asked its customers in Hawaii Island to reduce or shift their electricity use through April due to the unavailability of several large generators and cautioned that rolling outages might be needed.

“Our customers made a difference, and we were able to prevent additional shortfalls with their help,” said Kristen Okinaka, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson.

Large businesses and government agencies made a significant impact by voluntarily reducing their electricity use, the company said. (Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Miral Fahmy)