In an effort to potentially save money for its customers, Hawaiian Electric Co. is seeking onshore wind developers that can build projects capable of obtaining U.S. federal tax credits before they expire in 2019.
Specifically, the utility is seeking independent developers that can build utility-scale projects of at least 5 MW on the island of Oahu. The request is part of Hawaiian Electric’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Developers must have experience with a similar project and demonstrate that they can reasonably attain a commercial operation no later than the end of 2022, says the utility.
Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric’s vice president for corporate planning and business development, says, “The potential capacity for additional wind power on Oahu is limited, and land costs on this island are significant contributors of renewable projects’ pricing, so we believe it is important to identify shovel-ready projects that can take advantage of the federal tax credits, as the cost of such projects will likely be higher in the future.”
Interested parties who are capable of building onshore, grid-scale wind projects on Oahu are asked to respond with an “expression of interest” no later than Jan. 31. Information from the responses may assist in the development and issuance of a more formal request for proposals within a competitive bidding process or the issuance of an alternative means of procurement, subject to approval by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.
The detailed request for expressions of interest can be found here.
