Hawaiian Electric is looking at 15 new renewable energy projects on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui as the company retires older fossil-fueled plants.
The electric utility announced Friday that it will start contract negotiations with developers. The projects could produce approximately 517 megawatts from intermittent sources like wind and solar, and about 654 megawatts of firm generation.
Firm sources can generate power 24/7, whenever needed, such as biomass, waste, biodiesel and geothermal.
The contracts are expected to include 2.1 gigawatt-hours of battery storage.
Seven projects are on Oʻahu, four on Hawaiʻi Island, and another four on Maui. Their estimated completion times range from 2026 to 2033.
Solar-plus-storage and biofuel projects are slated for Oʻahu and the Big Island. Three solar-plus-storage projects and a wind farm are being planned for Maui.
HECO said the developers were required to submit community outreach and set aside at least $3,000 per megawatt of generation capacity annually for community benefits.
Developers include The AES Corporation, Kalaeloa Partners, Par Hawaii Refining, and Clearway Energy Group.
Some of the projects intend to reuse existing facilities: the Waiau facility in Pearl City on Oʻahu and the Hamakua plant in Honokaʻa on Hawaiʻi Island.
"The proposed repowering of the Waiau facility will be the largest generation project in Hawaiian Electric's 132-year history," HECO said in a statement.
Finalized projects will be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission for approval.
HECO recently abandoned a solar project in South Maui that the company once hoped would supply power to nearly 7,000 homes. The plan first proposed in 2018 was to build a solar-plus-storage system with a Canadian company named Innergex.
The two companies announced they are terminating their agreement because of what Hawaiian Electric called “lengthy delays resulting from the developerʻs legal challenges and pandemic-related cost and supply-chain issues.”
