Sunday, December 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Wednesday, December 13, 2023
New Oil Burner: HECO to Repower 76-Year Old Waiau Plant
By News Release @ 3:17 PM :: 1750 Views :: Honolulu County, Energy, Environment

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC’S WAIAU REPOWER PROJECT SELECTED

Efficient new technology will replace units built between 1947 and 1968

News Release from Hawaiian Electric 12/11/2023

HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (“Hawaiian Electric”), a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) (“HEI”), announced today that its proposal to replace six aging fossil-fuel generators at its Waiau Power Plant in Pearl City with more efficient, fuel-flexible units has been selected to advance to the next stage of an energy procurement process overseen by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Rendering of proposed Waiau Repower project, subject to change, when all six new units are in service. Image courtesy of Hawaiian Electric.

Rendering of proposed Waiau Repower project, subject to change, when all six new units are in service. Image courtesy of Hawaiian Electric.

The 253-megawatt project was one of several selected as part of a competitive procurement process for firm renewable generation on Oʻahu. This firm renewable generation resource will be available 24/7, is flexible to meet the needs of a modern grid using solar and wind and can run on renewable biofuels. The proposed repowering of the Waiau facility will be the largest generation project in Hawaiian Electric’s 132-year history.

“Our obligation is to reliably serve Oʻahu customers for the coming decades while also transitioning to cleaner renewable fuels and this is a unique, cost-effective opportunity to upgrade existing infrastructure with minimal impact to the community,” said Michael DeCaprio, Hawaiian Electric’s vice president of power supply.

The project still requires final approval by the PUC. Details on the price of the project and estimated cost to customers will be made available when the company files its application for approval. Because maintenance and repair costs for the older units will be eliminated, and because the new units are more efficient and will run less frequently, significant savings are expected over 30 years compared to the cost of continuing to run and repair the aging units.

The six new units are combustion turbines or CTs, which are similar to jet engines that turn turbines at high speeds to generate electricity. They are intended to support generation resources, including variable renewable energy like wind, solar and battery storage, when they are unavailable or unable to meet system demand. At approximately 42 megawatts, each CT unit is smaller and more efficient than the oil-fired steam boiler it will replace, and each can respond quickly to fluctuations on the electric grid. Initially, the CTs will use biodiesel and can potentially use renewable gas or hydrogen when it becomes commercially available.

TRANSLATION: The new Waiau will run on oil.  Weasel words: 'initially' and 'potentially'.

Waiau Units 3 and 4, aged 76 and 73 years respectively and scheduled to be retired in 2024, will be the first units to be replaced with the new technology over the next several years with an expected in-service date of 2029.

The other four units, which came into service between 1959 and 1968, will be replaced in phases with all units expected to be online by 2033.

To learn more, visit hawaiianelectric.com/waiaurepower.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii


loading