Hawaiian Electric has launched the procurement process for new, grid-scale renewable energy projects.
The utility is seeking bids for a total of 300 MW of renewable energy capacity, split between the islands of O’ahu, Maui and Hawai’i. Developers submitting proposals have the option to include energy storage in their bids, Hawaiian Electric said.
Interested parties have until 30 April 2018 to submit proposals, and project selection and contract negotiations are expected to start in September. Hawaiian Electric is seeking to install 220 MW on O’ahu, 60 MW on Maui and 20 MW on Hawai’i.
“This phase of our effort to transition to renewable energy is critically important,” said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president of business development and strategic planning. “We’ve heard from many people over the years interested in bringing their expertise to Hawai’i, so now is the time to bring us the plans for providing clean, reliable energy and reducing our customers’ costs.”
This is the first stage of a proposed two-stage process, targeting renewable resources to be added through 2022 so developers can take advantage of federal investment tax credits before they expire.
