HELCO plans new RFP to bring developers to West Hawaii
Puna Geothermal Power Plant, Big Island, Hawaii (source: betterplace.com)
Alexander Richter
28 Mar 2012
Hawaii Electric Light Co. is applying for a new Request for Proposals to extend geothermal power generation capacity in Hawaii by 50 MW.
Reported last week from Hawaii, the local utility, Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO) is hoping that a new request for proposals will help to bring geothermal development to West Hawaii.
The news article talks about a letter filed with the Public Utilities Commission, which asks for permission to start a request for proposals. The Request for Proposals aims at determine the potential cost of geothermal development and how long it would take to develop such projects. The exploration cost is expected to be beyond $11 million.
The utility aims at an additonal capacity of 50 MW, added to the existing 30 MW geothermal power provided by the only plant so far by Puna Geothermal Venture, an Ormat subsidiary.
The main driver for this push is the demand for base-load power that allows output to be regulated on an hourly base or even by the minute.
Target for production is 2018-2023.
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald
