The companies have filed a request with the Hawai’i Public Utilities Commission in this regard.
The planned Mililani Solar project in Hawai’I, to be developed by First Wind Solar Group has the capacity to provide clean energy to the equivalent of 6,000 O’ahu homes.
Over the term of the contract, the project is expected to provide cost savings to ratepayers of up to $67m, while also displacing up to 87,000 barrels of oil annually.
First Wind, which will operate the project, would sell power to Hawaiian Electric at 15.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor said the introduction of Mililani Solar will be Hawai’i’s largest photovoltaic farm to date.
"This is a milestone for First Wind as we look for new ways to turn Hawai’i’s abundant natural resources into affordable clean energy for the islands’ electrical grids," Gaynor added.
The power purchase agreement supports a mandate set by the Hawai’i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) to achieve 70% of energy in Hawai’i through conservation and clean energy sources by 2030.
