Earth Protect Blog

by Duane Shimogawa

Hawaiian Electric Co. and the Army are moving ahead with the development of a 50-megawatt biofuels power plant at Schofield Barracks.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday approved HECO’s request for a waiver from the competitive bidding process for the purpose of allowing discussions and negotiations to happen between the two entities.

“The decision by the PUC is not approval of the project,” HECO spokesman Darren Pai told PBN in an email. “As with any major capital investment, the PUC would conduct a thorough review of all details of the project and its costs as part of an approval process down the road.”

The generating station would be connected to HECO’s grid and would help meet the energy needs of all customers on Oahu, Pai said.

Additionally, he says that in the event of emergencies, it could be disconnected from the grid and supply power directly to Schofield Barracks and critical facilities in the Wahiawa community.

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