Hawaiian Electric issues draft RFP for energy procurement on Hawaii Island

Hawaiian Electric is seeking proposals to acquire energy and capacity on the eastern portion of Hawaii Island.

The draft request for proposals (RFP) calls for submissions from various sources, including new renewable dispatchable generation projects (with or without energy storage systems), extensions of existing resources after their current contract terms, standalone energy storage projects, and aggregated customer-sited distributed energy resources projects.

The RFP is based on recommendations from the Hawaii Island Near-Term Grid Needs Assessment report, which was released in July.

“Community engagement is important as we work together to shape our island’s energy future,” said Jennifer Zelko-Schlueter, Hawaiian Electric’s director of government and community affairs on Hawaii Island. “We value your input and encourage you to get involved and lend your voice to these important conversations about projects that may impact you. A community meeting allows you to learn more about a project, ask questions, and understand energy policy and process. It also gives us an opportunity to understand your perspective and listen to your ideas about solutions that are inclusive and fair.”

This is the third stage of the company’s renewable energy procurement for Hawaii Island. In the first two phases, three solar-plus-storage projects and one storage project totaling about 132 MW of generation and 492 MWh of storage were selected for Hawaii Island.

Hawaiian Electric will host a virtual meeting on Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the RFP. It can be viewed on the company’s Facebook page and will be recorded.

The final RFP will be issued on Feb. 14, 2022, and the RFP due date is May 17, 2022.

Upon approval by the Commission, the third phase of renewable energy procurement will be opened to bids from developers locally and globally. Pending approval, the first projects are expected to come online no later than 2030.