Molokai Renewables Co to Bid on Wind Farm

From the Moloka’i Dispatch:

Molokai Renewables developers confirmed last week they will place a bid to build a 200 megawatt (MW) wind farm on Molokai once a new request for proposals (RFP) is released this fall. ..

…The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) gave Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) 90 days in July to create the new RFP. The decision found HECO did not follow due process in allowing developer Castle & Cooke, which planned to build a 400 megawatt wind farm on Lanai, to assign half of its MW to Pattern Energy to be built on Molokai after another developer, First Wind, failed to submit paperwork on time.

Energy generated would be transmitted to Oahu via an undersea cable, although the efficiency of transmission is debatable. The PUC said companies may propose to generate the 200 MW using any form of clean energy on any island that could “reasonably” reach Oahu via the cable.

The 90-day period ends Oct. 14, after which the PUC must approve HECO’s RFP before developers may bid.

“At this time, Molokai Renewables does plan on submitting a bid when the final RFP is issued,” Keiki-Pua Dancil, vice president of Hawaii Business Development and Strategy at Bio-Logical Capital, said via email. Bio-Logical partnered with Pattern this year to create Molokai Renewables and pursue the project.

Read the whole article at Moloka’i Dispatch