Item 8.01 Other Events.

On February 13, 2009, HEI issued the following news release:

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, INC. TO WEBCAST AND TELECONFERENCE 2008 EARNINGS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009

HONOLULU - Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE-HE) announced that its 2008 year-end and fourth quarter earnings will be released on Thursday, February 19, 2009. The Company will also conduct a webcast and teleconference call to review 2008 earnings on Friday, February 20, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The event can be accessed through HEI's website at http://www.hei.com or by dialing
(866) 578-5747, passcode: 76761127 for the teleconference call.

An online replay of the webcast will be available at the same website beginning about two hours after the event. Replays of the teleconference call will also be available approximately two hours after the event through March 6, 2009, by dialing (888) 286-8010, passcode: 83325249.

HEI supplies power to over 400,000 customers or 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Maui Electric Company, Ltd. and provides a wide array of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through American Savings Bank, F.S.B., one of Hawaii's largest financial institutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements made orally on the above-referenced webcast/conference call may contain "forward-looking statements," which include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and usually include words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, predicts, estimates or similar expressions. In addition, any statements concerning future financial performance (including future revenues, expenses, earnings or losses or growth rates), ongoing business strategies or prospects and possible future actions, which may be provided by management, are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about HEI and its subsidiaries, the performance of the industries in which they do business and economic and market factors, among other things. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.

Forward-looking statements made orally on the above-referenced webcast/conference should be read in conjunction with the "Forward-Looking Statements" discussion (which is incorporated by reference herein) set forth on pages iv and v of HEI's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2008, and in HEI's future periodic reports that discuss important factors that could cause HEI's results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the above-referenced webcast/conference call.

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