PUC approves Hawaiian Electric wildfire plan with conditions for strengthening

The Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Hawaiian Electric’s 2025–27 wildfire mitigation plan on Jan. 1, 2026, concluding the utility largely met the commission’s mitigation guidelines and that the plan should reduce the risk of utility-related wildfires. The PUC approval came with directed improvements and simultaneous release of a study examining whether to create a wildfire recovery fund for the state.

The approved mitigation plan lists measures intended to lower ignition risk and improve response. Those measures include grid hardening, vegetation management, enhanced inspections, situational-awareness tools and public safety power shutoff protocols. The PUC found these components will contribute to reducing the risk of utility-related fires but instructed Hawaiian Electric to strengthen several key elements before implementation proceeds.

The commission identified shortcomings that require additional work: wildfire risk modeling needs refinement; the plan lacks clear timelines and quantifiable targets; workforce planning for restoration requires bolstering to ensure rapid recovery after incidents; explicit provisions for supporting vulnerable populations during outages need to be added; and monitoring and audit processes must be clarified to confirm compliance over time. The PUC’s directives reflect its oversight role in ensuring that mitigation measures are both effective and enforceable.

For residents of Big Island County, the PUC decision has direct implications. Grid hardening, vegetation management and improved inspections aim to lower the chance of ignition near populated areas. Public safety power shutoff protocols and situational-awareness tools are designed to reduce catastrophic outcomes, but the commission’s request for clearer timelines and restoration planning underscores potential risks of prolonged outages if systems fail or response capacity is insufficient. Requirements to define support for vulnerable populations speak to concerns about seniors, medical-dependant residents and others who face disproportionate harm during extended outages.

The PUC also released a study on whether to establish a wildfire recovery fund, leaving the concept under consideration. The commission said further analysis is necessary, particularly around liability caps and the fund’s structure, before any decision is made. Such a fund, if adopted, would affect how costs and compensation are handled after wildfire events, but its design and implications remain unresolved.

Next steps include Hawaiian Electric submitting strengthened elements as directed by the PUC and continued regulatory review of the recovery fund study. Residents and local officials will be watching implementation and regulatory filings to assess how the revised plan and any future fund would change wildfire risk management and post-disaster recovery on the island.