Fellows mentioned in this story: Colton Ching

From Civil Beat:

Hawai‘i’s largest utility is spending $120 million this year in its new push to reduce wildfire risk across the state after one of its fallen power lines sparked the deadly 2023 Lahaina blaze, company leaders told state lawmakers Friday.

Those dollars are funding preventative equipment such as detection cameras, drones, weather instruments and sparkless fuses, plus other measures such as replacing aging wooden poles and corroded copper power lines, according to Colton Ching, Hawaiian Electric Co.’s senior vice president for planning and technology.

The company’s efforts in 2024 amount to a third of Hawaiian Electric’s overall annual budget, and it plans to spend an additional $300 million on wildfire prevention in the next three years, Ching added.

It believes those steps, taken in Lahaina’s aftermath, have reduced the risk of wildfire by 60% across its coverage area, which includes O‘ahu, Maui County and Hawai‘i Island.

Continue reading at civilbeat.org, hawaiinewsnow.com, hawaiipublicradio.org, and westhawaiitoday.com.