#Kahului Power Plant

As part of its transition to using more renewable energy and cutting carbon emissions to power Maui, Hawaiian Electric will begin construction in January of the island’s first large standalone load-shifting battery energy storage system (BESS). The Waena BESS will enable the planned retirement of four generating units at the company’s Kahului Power Plant.

Hawaiian Electric is gearing up for a transformative decade on Maui, as the utility company plans to retire 88 megawatts (MW) of its fossil fuel firm generators, or roughly 35% of the firm generator capacity on Maui. This major overhaul is driven by state environmental regulations and difficulties in sourcing parts for aging generators, many of which have become obsolete.

Hawaiian Electric’s presentation will include information on general timing and cost components for various Maui projects and programs including: the planned Kahului Power Plant closure, proposed Mā‘alaea Power Plant unit retirements, status of new generation projects, current reserve margins, future infrastructure and reliability improvements, and Hawaiian Electric’s Public Safety Power Shutoff changes.

Hawaiian Electric and developer Innergex Renewable Energy have terminated an agreement for a planned grid-scale solar and battery storage project in South Maui. According to HECO, the project was hit with lengthy delays resulting from the developer’s legal challenges and pandemic-related cost and supply-chain issues. Of five solar projects approved on Maui since 2018, only one is being built.

Innergex, a renewable energy developer based in Canada, has plans to build and operate the 15-megawatt solar array with a 60-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system on approximately 200 acres leased from ‘Ulupalakua Ranch, mauka of Pi‘ilani Highway in Kīhei. The project plans to utilize 150 acres of fallow grazing land for the project.

Submitted last year and estimated to cost approximately $38.8 million, the upgrades are part of the company’s plans to reduce its overall carbon footprint by 70% by 2030 when compared to 2005 levels and to achieve a renewable portfolio standard of 100% by 2045.

In its transition to use more renewable energy to power Maui while maintaining reliable service, Hawaiian Electric submitted an application to build a new switchyard and make equipment conversions to retire its oil-firing generating units at the Kahului Power Plant.

Hawaiian Electric announced Wednesday that it has submitted eight new renewable energy projects to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for review. If approved, the projects could produce lower-cost electricity, advance clean energy and phase out coal consumption in Hawai’i – enabling the retirement of the Kahului plant. 

The Hawaiian Electric Companies have received more than 75 proposals after its call for more renewable energy resources to “accelerate the state’s transition off fossil fuels used for generations of electricity.”

The Sierra Club Maui Group and Maui Tomorrow are challenging Maui County and Anaergia Services’ proposed sludge farm and power plant along the Kahului shoreline by filing a lawsuit in Maui’s Environmental Court on Thursday.

Maui Electric Company has filed an EISPN as it plans for the retirement of its Kahului Power Plant and a modernization of its grid.

The tsunami warning event on Saturday resulted in sewage spills to the ocean at three locations. Officials with the County of Maui identified the specific areas where the public should avoid the ocean until results of bacteriological tests are complete. They are: Kahului (the ocean fronting Hale Nanea and some of the drainage ditches near […]

Saturday’s University of Hawai‘i-BYU men’s volleyball match has been rescheduled for Monday at the Stan Sheriff Center. First serve is 6:00 p.m.   The game, originally scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at a sold-out War Memorial Gym in Maui, was postponed due to the tsunami warning issued on the Hawaiian Islands.   The match will instead […]

“In the face of warnings that the tsunami could be significant we made the difficult decision of shutting down wastewater pump stations in low lying areas and water service to those in these same areas,” said Dave Taylor, Chief of the County’s wastewater division. “We realized that if large enough waves impacted our pump stations […]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TajMmXW-7aQ[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnlh-Nrjhl8 [/youtube] “In these types of situations we must be prepared to protect the public,” said Mayor Charmaine Tavares. “When the worse case scenario doesn’t occur – we can count ourselves lucky that we dodged another bullet. In this case when the state’s tsunami warning center forecast a dangerous surge due to the earthquake […]

(Update: 1:45 p.m. 2/27/10) Following the “All Clear” issued for Maui County, the following advisories are in effect: WASTEWATER— Flushing and sending water down drains can begin again at 3:00 p.m. WATER— Water service will gradually be restored beginning at 3:00 p.m. ELECTRIC POWER— The public is urged to continue conserving electricity until about 4:00 […]

(Update: 1:38 p.m. 2/27/10) The tsunami warning is cancelled for the state of Hawaii effective at 1:38 pm HST. The cancellation comes following an 8.8 moment magnitude quake that originated near the coast of Central Chile at 8:34 p.m. HST on Friday, February 26, 2010. Measurements or reports of tsunami wave activity are as follows: […]

By Wendy Osher [flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNqE50gjTVM /] This Special Report was covered live in a six station simulcast on Pacific Radio Group. The interview aired at 8:25 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2010 and featured details about tsunami preparations from Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares. The program was co-hosted by KPOA 93.5 FM Program Director Alaka’i Paleka […]

[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cj2Ql1Pm84 /] This Special Report was included as part of Pacific Radio Group’s multi-media coverage of Tsunami Warning Events over the weekend. The interviews were captured at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2010 and featured interviews conducted by Native 92.5 FM Program Director, Kawika-veeka as long lines formed at island gas stations and […]

By Wendy Osher This Special Report was covered live in a six station simulcast on Pacific Radio Group. The interview initially aired at 3:45 a.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2010 and featured details about tsunami preparations from Maui County Civil Defense Administrator, Gen Iinuma. The interview was conducted by Pacific Radio Group News Director, Wendy […]