#Kaheawa

The Board of Land and Natural Resources has unanimously approved a new, 25-year lease for Kaheawa Wind Power I, allowing the continued operation of the existing wind energy facility in West Maui.

Operating since 2006, Kaheawa Wind 1, Maui’s first wind farm, was recently selected to the Final Award Group for the Stage 3 request for proposal (“RFP”) from Hawaiian Electric to continue operations at the existing wind farm. The facility has a production capacity of 30 megawatts of power, serving approximately 17,000 homes annually and is located in Ukumehame above Mā‘alaea Harbor.

Today is the deadline for public comments on a draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on four Hawaiʻi wind projects.

MECO officials say the increased use of wind energy results in estimated savings of more than $22 per year for a typical Maui residential electric bill.

Maui’s Rysen Otomo, of Wailuku, earned the top scholarship award issued by First Wind, a US-based renewable energy company that operates the Kaheawa Wind I & II project above Māʻalaea.

“Don’t kid a kidder, my friend. Have you seen my electric bill? If there were windmills on this island I would know about it.”

Commercial operations began yesterday for First Wind’s 21 megawatt Kaheawa Wind II project above Maalaea.