Hawaiian Electric files eight contracts that will end coal use in Hawaii, promote clean energy

Hawaiian Electric reached a milestone this week with the submission of eight grid-scale renewable energy and storage projects to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which would allow for the retirement of the state’s sole remaining coal plant.

The generation and storage provided by the projects would allow for an AES-owned, 180 MW coal plant to be retired in 2022, followed by the 38 MW Kahului oil-fired plant in 2024. Of the projects, six would take place on Oahu, and the remaining two would be placed on Maui. If seen to completion, they would likely lower electric bills by about $1 per month on both islands.

“As planned, these projects will significantly advance our state’s renewable energy transformation and benefit everyone by reducing our exposure to volatile oil prices,” Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president of business development and strategic planning, said.

All told, the contracts will amount to nearly 300 MW of new renewable generation, supplemented by approximately 2,000 MW hours of storage. Even before they begin to come online, Hawaiian Electric will have reached a 30 percent renewable portfolio by the end of this year. The Oahu projects include five solar and storage efforts, along with an independent storage project. Both of Maui’s hosted projects will be solar and storage efforts.

All eight projects were submitted as part of the second phase of Hawaiian Electric’s renewable procurement effort, which began in February 2018. They join two standalone energy storage projects Hawaiian Electric earlier announced plans to build on Maui and Hawaii Island.