March 1-4 – Evidentiary Hearing for Hu Honua and Hawaii Electric Light Company (Rescheduled)

Posted on Feb 18, 2022 in Important Events, Key Dockets, Public Meeting

Hu Honua’s Evidentiary hearing is rescheduled to March 1, 2022, thru March 4, 2022.
In Order No. 38215 the Commission lifted the suspension on this docket and resumed proceedings following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Hu Honua’s Notice of Appeal in SCOT-22-0000024.

Hu Honua, which does business as Honua Ola Bioenergy, has been seeking the PUC’s approval to begin operating a $474 million biomass plant in Pepeekeo on the Hamakua Coast that is 99% complete and will burn trees to produce energy. That energy would be purchased by Hawaii Electric Light Co., known as Hawaiian Electric, under an agreement between the two companies.

The main questions issues to be considered by the Commission at the evidentiary hearing are:

1. What are the long-term environmental and public health costs of reliance on energy produced at the proposed facility?

a. What is the potential for increased air pollution due to the lifecycle GHG emissions of the Project?

  1. What are the GHG emissions that would result from approving the Amended PPA?
  2. Whether the total costs under the Amended PPA, including but not limited to the energy and capacity costs are reasonable in light of the potential for GHG emissions.
  3. Whether the terms of the Amended PPA are prudent and in the public interest, in light of the Amended PPA’s hidden and long-term consequences.

The Evidentiary Hearing should be featured on the PUC Youtube Chanel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBVv_-iAjybJFDSKbTZ3hYA

(Docket No. 2017-0122)