Hawaiian Electric selects developer to add firm renewable energy to Maui’s power generation mix
Hawaiian Electric selects developer to add firm renewable
energy to Maui’s power generation mix
Ameresco project selected in latest round of clean energy procurement
KAHULUI, Feb. 2, 2024 – Hawaiian Electric has selected a developer for a proposed firm
renewable energy project on Maui that is part of the company’s latest phase of clean energy
procurements aimed at reducing Hawai‘i’s dependence on imported oil for power generation.
The 40-megawatt (MW) biofuel-powered generator proposed by Ameresco Inc. would help
move Hawai‘i closer to its clean energy goals, while adding critical grid reliability with firm
renewable energy. Firm resources differ from variable resources such as solar and wind, in that
they are available at all times. The facility would be built on property owned by Hawaiian Electric
at Waena across from the Central Maui Landfill – Refuse and Recycling Center on Pūlehu
Road.
The Maui proposal is part of the most recent round of clean energy procurement that includes a
total of 16 firm and variable renewable energy projects selected on Maui, Hawai‘i Island and
O‘ahu. Also selected for Maui were three solar-plus-storage projects and one wind project.
Hawaiian Electric will now start contract negotiations with the selected project developers, who
will conduct outreach in the communities where they plan to build. For the first time, developers
were required to submit community outreach and benefit plans that were evaluated along with
technical and financial criteria.
Once Hawaiian Electric finalizes contracts with the developers, the contracts will be submitted to
the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for review and approval. At that time, more details on
price and bill impact will be made public. The selection process was overseen by an
Independent Observer and Independent Engineer, selected by the PUC to ensure that all
proposals – including projects proposed by Hawaiian Electric – were reviewed fairly and
objectively.
The projects selected are the result of a procurement effort that Hawaiian Electric began in May
2022 for O‘ahu and Maui and in November 2021 for Hawai‘i Island. For a list of the projects and
links to each project website, please see the Renewable Project Status Board page:
hawaiianelectric.com/statusboard
#
