Hawaiian Electric

Hawaiian Electric faces multiple allegations of operational negligence leading to environmental destruction and community harm. The utility is a defendant in lawsuits stemming from the August 2023 Maui wildfires, which represent one of the most devastating environmental and human disasters in modern Hawaiian history. Plaintiffs allege the company failed to de-energize its power lines despite a National Weather Service high-wind warning, and further accuse it of removing physical evidence—specifically downed power poles and lines—from the fire scene in violation of a court-preserved discovery order. The fires resulted in widespread soil contamination, toxic ash runoff into coastal waters, and the destruction of the historic town of Lahaina.

Separate from the wildfire litigation, the company has an enforcement record with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2006, the EPA settled a case against Hawaiian Electric for $1,375 related to the improper disposal of PCB-contaminated material. More recently, in December 2025, Hawaiian Electric sued a fuel supplier, alleging that tainted naphtha fuel caused "catastrophic damage" to a critical 60-megawatt power plant in Hāmākua. While this lawsuit frames the company as a plaintiff, it centers on an operational failure that resulted in significant physical damage to energy infrastructure.