April 15 (Reuters) - The main electric utility for the U.S. state of Hawaii said it was prepared to initiate rolling blackouts on Monday due to decreased wind and solar power and the temporary loss of several large generators.

The outages may start as early as 6 a.m. to prevent widespread power loss, Hawaiian Electric said in a notice posted to its website.

The Honolulu-based electric utility said 21,557 customers around the island experienced a 30-minute outage on Sunday night starting at 8:54 p.m (0654 GMT on Monday) and ending at 9:59 p.m.

"Hawaiian Electric's Hill 5 steam unit tripped offline yesterday. Puna steam unit and CT-1 combustion turbine unit also are under repair," the company said.

Hawaiian Electric urged Hawaii Island's residential and business customers to conserve electricity. The company did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

Last month, Hawaiian Electric asked its customers on Hawaii Island to reduce or shift their electricity use through April after the utility's largest generator went offline due to mechanical issues.

Hawaiian Electric is facing multiple lawsuits over a wildfire that tore through the island of Maui last year, killing at least 100 people. A spokesperson for the company said in September it does not comment on pending litigation.

In November, the company said it was unable to submit its quarterly filing with U.S. securities regulators on time due to financial contributions it made towards victims of the wildfire.

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https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/hawaiian-electric-urges-hawaii-island-customers-conserve-power-2024-04-15/