Big Island Bioenergy Plant Searches For More Trees — And Regulatory Approval … Hu Honua intends to create energy by burning biomass, primarily eucalyptus, cut from multiple locations on Hawaii island.
The head of a wood-fired power plant seeking to supply Hawaii island with electricity for 30 years says his company has enough trees under contract for the first few years of operation, but it’s unclear where the rest will come from.
Warren Lee, president of Hu Honua Bioenergy, recently told the Public Utilities Commission that his company is attempting to negotiate leases with landowners of commercial eucalyptus forests on the Big Island to secure a long-term inventory of trees. But because Hu Honua lacks what he calls a “non-appealable” power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric sanctioned by the commission, landowners are reluctant to sign contracts.
Hu Honua intends to provide energy to the Big Island’s grid, operated by Hawaiian Electric, by burning eucalyptus trees cut from multiple locations on the island. Originally planted in the mid-1990s after the sugarcane industry collapsed, the trees were grown for commercial harvest.
