Hawaiian Electric Seeks New Energy Supply
UPDATED Saturday 10 a.m.
Hawaiian Electric Co.鈥檚 much anticipated request for proposals for at least 200 megawatts of renewable energy for Oahu was submitted to state regulators Friday.
The state鈥檚 major electric utility was ordered by the Public Utilities Commission to seek new proposals for half of the Big Wind project after a series of twists led to the unraveling of the Molokai portion of the project.
The new RFP is open to any commercially viable renewable technology that can be brought to Oahu via undersea cable or located on Oahu itself. HECO is also seeking proposals for undersea cable systems for transmitting electricity to Oahu.
The RFP still has to be approved by the PUC and is expected to be issued in March of 2012. HECO wants the project in operation by the end of 2018.
The original Big Wind project sought to build 200 megawatt wind farms on Molokai and Lanai and bring energy to Oahu through a cable. But the process has not gone smoothly. Many residents on the neighbor islands are angry about the cultural and environmental implications of the proposed wind farms, especially given that the energy will only serve Oahu.
Already groups opposed to the Big Wind project have sought to intervene in proceedings before the PUC, including Friends of Lanai, I Aloha Molokai and Life of the Land. The PUC has yet to grant the requests and it remains to been whether the new RFP, which opens the process to projects other than wind farms, will appease the critics.
The PUC ruled last year that the original project was not competitively bid, as is required, fueling the project’s controversy.
Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land, indicated the new RFP was a positive step and said his group “looks forward to an open and transparent process geared towards maximizing renewable energy penetration in Hawaii.”
The Lanai portion of the Big Wind project is still moving ahead, although it鈥檚 not a sure thing, as regulators still need to approve the contract for the project.
UPDATED The RFP is seeking about 8 percent to 11 percent of Oahu’s total electricity needs, roughly the equivalent to a 200 megawatt wind farm. But Scott Seu, vice president of energy resources for Hawaiian Electric, said Saturday that bids for energy above that amount that have good pricing will also be considered.
Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Honolulu-based Blue Planet Foundation praised the RFP and said that he was particularly encouraged to see that HECO was also planning to issue an RFP for 300 megawatts of renewable energy, which could apply to technologies such as geothermal.
A draft of the RFP is expected to be complete by the end of November, said Seu.
DISCUSSION: Do you think the new RFP will open up opportunities for technologies other than wind?*
