Hawaiian Electric seeks bids from potential developers for renewable projects as part of the second phase of renewable energy procurement plan
Image: Hawaiian Electric shifts focus towards renewable power. Photo: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay.
Hawaiian Electric Companies has announced plans to procure new renewable energy capacity under the second phase of its renewable push.
The firm is seeking bids from potential developers locally and globally for renewable projects, as part of the second phase of renewable energy procurement plan.
The move, which aims to continue providing reliable service, comes as Hawaiian Electric plans to close the largest fossil fuel plant on Oahu and retire of Maui’s oldest oil-fired plant.
Approval for the second phase of renewable energy procurement plan is expected from the Public Utilities Commission in summer 2019, the firm said.
First project under the new procurement plan to be commissioned in 2022
The company plans to commission the first project, subject to approval, in 2022.
Hawaiian Electric said in a statement: “The approximately 900 MW of new renewables to be sought – generating about 2 million megawatt-hours annually – would be among the largest single procurement efforts undertaken by a U.S. utility.
“In addition to variable renewable generation, with or without energy storage, this second phase will be open to standalone storage and grid services that help system operators manage reliability of modern electric grids with diverse, dynamic inputs and outputs.”
By acquiring clean energy technologies over the next five years, Hawaiian Electric Companies intends to have 594MW of solar capacity for Oahu; 135MW for Maui and 32MW to 203MW for Hawaii Island.
The company, however, intends to seek proposals for Molokai and Lanai later this summer.
Hawaiian Electric business development and strategic planning senior vice-president Jim Alberts said: “We’ve attempted to develop a competitive bidding plan that addresses concerns of all stakeholders while maintaining a fair process to reach our aggressive clean energy goals.
“Among our guiding principles are that transparency, predictability and streamlining lowers costs to customers and that community engagement is essential to success.”
Hawaiian Electric Companies is scheduled to close the 180MW coal-fired AES Hawaii plant in Campbell Industrial Park due by September 2022, as well as retire the Kahului Power Plant in Maui by the end of 2024.