July 26, 2011

Hawaiian Electric, with Castle & Cooke, petitioned the PUC to reverse their decision requiring HECO go out to bid on the company to develop the wind farm on Moloka’i. 

Hawaiian Electric is asking that the PUC either allow Castle & Cooke to develop the entire 400 mw wind farm on Lanai, or that commissioners reconsider their ruling and allow Castle & Cooke to cede 200 mw to Pattern Energy for the wind farm on Molokai.

HECO put the majority of its renewable energy eggs in the Big Wind basket and now says they’ll have trouble meeting the State’s renewable energy component if they are not allowed to go forward with their deal with Pattern Energy.

Critics point out that there are cheaper ways that HECO could have already started meeting its renewable requirement that would cost ratepayers far less than the Big Wind projects.

Read more at Honolulu Civil Beat