Hawaiian Electric developing RFPs for renewable energy on Maui, Oahu
Hawaiian Electric is launching several new renewable energy projects on Oahu and Maui to facilitate the company’s move to retire generators that run on imported oil.
The company is currently drafting requests for proposals (RFP) for various renewable energy and capacity resources on Oahu and Maui, including wind, solar, biomass and biofuels, and energy storage. The RFPs will be issued after the draft proposals are approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
“Hawaiian Electric is excited to embark on this next round of renewable energy procurements, which seeks to enhance grid reliability and address climate change,” Rebecca Dayhuff Matsushima, vice president of resource procurement for Hawaiian Electric, said. “We look forward to working with the community, our regulators, and stakeholders to further refine the RFPs as we work together to replace fossil-fueled generation.”
For Oahu, Hawaiian Electric is seeking at least 475 gigawatt hours annually of variable renewable dispatchable energy to be in service by 2027. Further, the utility is seeking 300 to 500 megawatts of renewable firm capacity to be in service by 2029 and 200 megawatts of renewable firm capacity to be in service by 2033.
For Maui, the company is seeking at least 180 gigawatt hours annually of renewable dispatchable energy and at least 40 megawatts of renewable firm capacity to be in service by 2027.
Hawaiian Electric will host a virtual public meeting to seek input on the draft RFP on May 10 for Oahu and May 24 for Maui. Go to hawaiianelectric.com/communitymeetings for details on how to participate.
