PUC holds public hearing on Hawaiian Electric rebasing request as residents decry higher bills

The Public Utilities Commission held a public hearing on docket PC 2026-0162 after Hawaiian Electric Companies filed a rebasing application seeking approximately $170,000,000 in consolidated annual revenue, Chair John Itamura said at the opening of the hearing. Itamura described the rebasing request as part of resetting base rates for the next five-year performance-based regulation period and explained participation procedures for in-person, Webex and phone testimony.

Hawaiian Electric senior vice president Joe Viola framed the filing as a reset of base rates after years under PBR and said the company reduced its request by $5,000,000 and proposes phasing increases to moderate customer impacts. Michelangelo, the executive director of the Division of Consumer Advocacy at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, told the commission his office will independently review the company’s proposal and conduct discovery before making recommendations to the PUC.

Public testimony that followed focused heavily on affordability, reliability and corporate accountability: elderly residents, Maui wildfire survivors and organizers urged the commission to require clear, independently supported evidence of need before approving any increase. The hearing record will be used by the consumer advocate and the commission as they evaluate the application; the commission said it will issue a written decision after its review.