EXHIBIT 24(A)
 
                               POWER OF ATTORNEY
 
  KNOW ALL PEOPLE BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned, HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC
COMPANY, INC., a Hawaii corporation, for itself as the sponsor and owner of
all the common Securities of HECO Capital Trust I, and the officers and
directors of said corporation whose names are signed hereto, hereby constitute
and appoint T. MICHAEL MAY, PAUL A. OYER, MARVIN A. HAWTHORNE, DAVID J. REBER
and GREGORY R. KIM of Honolulu, Hawaii, and each of them, with full power of
substitution in the premises (with full power to each of them to act alone),
their true and lawful attorneys and agents, and in its and their name, place
and stead, to do any and all acts and things and to execute and deliver any
and all instruments and documents which said attorneys and agents or any of
them may deem necessary or advisable to be done to enable Hawaiian Electric
Company, Inc. to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"), and any rules, regulations or requirements of the
Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof and/or to comply with
the requirements of any other state regulatory authority, all in connection
with the registration under said Act on Form S-3, of up to 2,000,000 of
Quarterly Income Preferred Securities with a liquidation preference of $25 per
Preferred Security, to be issued by HECO Capital Trust I for the benefit of
and as guaranteed by Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and
the related Guarantees and underlying debt securities, including specifically
but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, power and authority to
sign the name of Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., and the names of the
undersigned officers and directors thereof, in the capacities indicated below,
to the registration statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission in respect of the aforementioned securities, to any and all
amendments (including pre- and post-effective amendments) and supplements to
said registration statement and to any instruments or documents filed as a
part of or in connection with said registration statement or amendments or
supplements thereto, and each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms
all of the aforesaid that said attorneys and agents or any of them shall do or
cause to be done by virtue hereof.
 
  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. has caused this Power of
Attorney to be executed in its name by its President and its Financial Vice
President and Treasurer and attested by its Secretary, and the undersigned
officers and directors of Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. have hereunto set
their hands, as of the 18th day of December, 1996. This Power of Attorney may
be executed in any number of counterparts by the corporation and by any one or
more of the officers and directors named below.
 
ATTEST:                                   HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC.
 
 
          /s/ Molly M. Egged                        /s/ T. Michael May
_____________________________________     By___________________________________
            Molly M. Egged                  T. Michael May
               Secretary                    President and Chief Executive
                                            Officer
 
                                                     /s/ Paul A. Oyer
                                          By __________________________________
                                                      Paul A. Oyer
                                              Financial Vice President and
                                                        Treasurer
 

 
         /s/ T. Michael May             President, Principal Executive Officer
- -------------------------------------    and Director
           T. MICHAEL MAY
 
          /s/ Paul A. Oyer              Financial Vice President, Treasurer,
- -------------------------------------    Principal Financial Officer and
            PAUL A. OYER                 Director
 
        /s/ Ernest T. Shiraki           Controller and Principal Accounting
- -------------------------------------    Officer
          ERNEST T. SHIRAKI
 
        /s/ Robert F. Clarke            Chairman of the Board of Directors
- -------------------------------------
          ROBERT F. CLARKE
 
         /s/ Edwin L. Carter            Director
- -------------------------------------
           EDWIN L. CARTER
 
        /s/ Richard Henderson           Director
- -------------------------------------
          RICHARD HENDERSON
 
         /s/ Diane J. Plotts            Director
- -------------------------------------
           DIANE J. PLOTTS
 
          /s/ Paul C. Yuen              Director
- -------------------------------------
            PAUL C. YUEN
 
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