Hawaiian Electric seeks clearance for next RfP for renewables, storage

The Hawaiian Electric Companies have submitted for approval a request for proposals (RfP) draft targeting almost 300 GWh of annual renewable power supply and 1,378 MWh of energy storage capacity, it was announced on Wednesday.

Subject to clearance by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the companies will look to issue the final RfP by June and have the first projects come online by 2022.

The table below gives more details about the supply sought as part of the process.

This represents Phase Two of a plan to build more renewable power and storage capacity in Hawaii. In Phase One, the Hawaiian Electric Companies negotiated contracts for eight projects in total last year. The PUC has so far approved six -- three projects on Oahu, one on Maui Island and two on Hawaii Island for a total of 247 MW of solar power and nearly 1 GWh of storage capacity. These plants are expected to be delivered by end-2021.

The prices for six of these projects are the lowest negotiated to date for renewable power in Hawaii. The cost per kWh for two of them is as low as USD 0.08 (EUR 0.07).

The Phase Two process will cover not only generation and storage but also independent service providers that can enlist customers to provide grid services such as capacity to shift electricity use from high to low demand periods, as well as fast frequency response.

The Hawaiian Electric Companies want more renewables to compensate for the planned shut-down of the 180-MW coal-burning AES Hawaii power plant on Oahu and the retirement of Maui’s oldest oil-fired plant within the next five years.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.891)

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