Consumer Advocacy – Public Utilities (DCA)

Late last year, the Hawaiian Electric Companies (HECO) filed seven power purchase agreement (PPA) applications with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for solar projects on Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii Island.

In its Statements of Position (SOP) in separate filings, the Consumer Advocate (CA) recommended approval for five of them while disapproving one (the Hoohana Solar 1, LLC project on Oahu). The seventh application (Paeahu Solar, LLC in Maui) is awaiting a PUC decision to approve intervenors before the CA can make a recommendation following its research and analysis.

The CA, in Docket No. 2018-0431 opposing HECO’s PPA with Hoohana Solar, notes that while the PPA could provide benefits to the system and to customers, “in order to avoid uncertainty regarding whether the project will be able to move forward if conditional approval was granted,” citing “there appears to be a potential ‘fatal’ flaw that could jeopardize the ability for the project to move forward.”

The other five applications the CA recommended for approval include Waikoloa Solar, LLC (Hawaii Island), Kuawehi Solar, LLC (Hawaii Island), Mililani I Solar, LLC (Oahu), Waiawa Solar Power, LLC (Oahu), and Kuihelani Solar, LLC (Maui).

Read more about these dockets by searching the docket number in the “Docket Quick Link” search box on the PUC’s Document Management System.
Docket Nos. 2018-0430, 2018-0431, 2018-0432, 2018-0434, 2018-0435, 2018-0436