Hawaiian Electric Co. unveiled a new $23 million dispatch operations center yesterday, calling it a bigger, better and faster central "brain," or command post to run O'ahu's electric grid.

While it won't eliminate occasional power outages, it could make them shorter, company officials said.

"In the last outage (June 1), we were able to see it faster and react faster," said Robert Young, manager of the new operations center. That meant the outage lasted four hours instead of as much as six, he said.

HECO said the center is the first in a series of changes costing about $50 million through 2008 envisioned to more effectively manage the island's power outages, as well as get information to consumers more rapidly.

While the new command center is starting to come online, trouble calls are still being taken by hand. Once the center is complete by 2007, trouble calls will be handled electronically, with dispatchers capable of directing 20 crews at a time compared with about four now.

In 2008, an improved consumer information system will complete the changes and allow customers to get information about an outage in their area and find out when it will be fixed, officials said.

The central command station includes what is likely the state's biggest large-screen TV — a continuous screen 48 feet long and 8 feet high — with every speck of the island's power grid illuminated, from the Kahe Point power plant to the far reaches of Hawai'i Kai. The previous system was 25 years old, and some replacement parts were no longer available.

The improvements create a state-of-the-art system equal to or better than large Mainland centers that can foresee problems to some extent and plan ways to handle them better, officials said. It also can be configured as a training tool to simulate past crises, such as the crash of utility poles along the Nanakuli coast that shut down power and snagged traffic for hours.

"It gives us the opportunity to be better at what we do," said spokesman Peter Rosegg.

The new command center replaces a room one-third its size in which dispatchers had to crowd around screens to see problems and lay out maps on the floor. It also offers dispatchers plenty of quiet space to do their jobs, and see larger problems along the grid to keep them from spreading.

With the new system, Young said, "the dispatcher on the console can zoom in and see a problem in a particular area and on the bigger board you can see the impact on the larger area.

"They'll know what areas are affected and where they need to go."

Dean Mizumura, superintendent of HECO's operating division, said the new operations center will also allow the company to reduce its average one-hour response and repair time. "That should improve," he said.

There's no way at this time to say whether all of these improvements will also spell higher electricity costs to Hawai'i consumers, HECO officials said.

Hawaiian Electric was allowed a 3 percent rate increase a year ago from the Public Utilities Commission, and the company may seek another increase after the entire system is complete in 2008.

But officials pointed out that "the more efficiently you can operate the system, the more economical" it will be.

The new operations center began service March 31.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.