Kauaʻi utility cooperative’s new $8.5 million Anahola Service Center receives blessing

Kahu Wayne Vidinha performed a blessing Friday morning for Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s recently completed $8.5 million Anahola Service Center.

The facility replaces the Kapa‘a Service Center after more than 60 years of operations.

The new facility serves as the hub of field operations for the island’s east side and north shore service area, providing needed garage, office and storage space.

The new center also will serve as a staging area for transmission and distribution operations and will also house the utility’s distribution planning team. The expanded site will serve as a storm preparation area and equipment depot for hurricane season. Response times to outages on the north shore are expected to improve with the operational shift from Kapa‘a to Anahola.

“KIUC’s priority is to provide reliable electricity to all residents of Kaua‘i, and the Anahola Service Center will enable us to continue to improve the resiliency for the eastern and northern parts of Kaua’i,” said David Bissell, the utility’s CEO.

Work on the project was completed by all Kaua‘i-based firms. The design was by Kaua‘i architect Avery Youn; the sitework was done by Cushnie Construction; and the building construction was completed by Kalani Construction.

The center was constructed on 4.5 acres of land leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The lot is included in General Lease No. 299, which also covers land that houses the Anahola Solar Farm and the adjacent Anahola Substation.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Anahola Hawaiian Homestead Association negotiated a community benefits agreement with the utility when the project was initially proposed.

“It’s a shining example where different organizations can come together and coordinate the development of something like this, which will benefit the community for generations,” said Kali Watson, chair of the department.