The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week that it would terminate more than $7.5 billion in funding awards to state-level energy projects.
Six of those awards are for projects in Hawaiʻi, according to a list obtained by HPR.
The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office oversees three of the listed awards, including two grants that total $18 million for technology to keep Kauaʻi’s electric grid stable as it brings online more intermittent energy resources like solar. The Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative is a subcontractor on the grants.
Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick said that work is "extremely important for [KIUC] to get to the next stage of renewable integration."
He called the cancellation of funding for the projects "highly disappointing" and said HSEO planned on appealing the decision.
As of Monday morning, HSEO had yet to receive an official termination notice for the two grants to support grid-stabilizing technology on Kauaʻi.
Glick said the lack of communication from the U.S. Department of Energy or other federal agencies leaves his office in a tricky position.
"To put it mildly, it's not helpful," he said.
HSEO is preparing to move forward with the appeal process while it awaits official notice.
"We're going to take every course of action necessary to hopefully reverse this," Glick said.
HSEO did receive a notice terminating about $1 million in funding for another project meant to spur the adoption of zero-emission vehicles throughout the state's fleet and expand charging infrastructure for electric cars.
Glick said that HSEO immediately put in a stop-work order for the project upon receiving the notice.
HSEO was informed in the notice that the project was no longer consistent with the U.S. Department of Energy's priorities.
The Trump administration has consistently targeted federal programs and regulations that support electric vehicles. Still, Glick said it was surprising to receive a termination notice for this project, as the DOE had approved the grant only four weeks ago.
The DOE announced last week that it was terminating funding for a total of 223 projects, which it had determined "did not adequately advance the nation's energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars."
Those projects are mainly in Democrat-led states, including Hawaiʻi, which lost an estimated $68 million in funding.
"Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," shared Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, on the social media platform X last Wednesday.
Other Hawaiʻi recipients include Ameresco, which received $40 million to develop a microgrid at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, The University of Hawaiʻi, and Oceanit Laboratories.
