First Wind Sees Maui as Oahu’s Best Source of Energy

Sophie Cocke is reporting from the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo, where hundreds of business leaders and government officials from about 20 countries are meeting to talk energy. She writes in her Landblog:

First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor said that Maui was a better location for tapping renewable energy sources that can be transported to Oahu via undersea cables than “other” locations in Maui County - ie. Lanai and Molokai.

He noted the opposition to wind farms on those islands and stressed the success that First Wind has had in developing wind farms on Maui, absent community protests. 

Gaynor told Civil Beat that the company was planning to place a bid for a project containing 200 mw to 300 mw of wind and solar energy on Maui when HECO releases its upcoming RFP for energy that can be brought to Oahu via undersea cables - or sited on Oahu itself. 

The RFP is being released because First Wind missed a deadline last year to secure land on Molokai as part of the Big Wind project. 

Molokai Renewables, which made a land deal with Molokai Ranch, is now planning to bid on the Molokai portion of the project.