Dive Brief:

• Hawaiian Electric Co. asked the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission for approval of measures to advance the building of the $170 million, 50-megawatt Schofield Generating Station on Oahu that would burn Hawaii-grown biomass and liquefied natural gas.
• The plant would move Hawaii closer to its 40% by 2030 renewables mandate by adding biomass capacity and by adding flexibility to Hawaii’s grid to allow more wind and solar integration.
• Schofield will serve all Hawaii power customers but its inland location will provide Oahu, where all generating stations are near the coast and subject to storm surges and tsunamis, with increased energy security.

Dive Insight:

HECO and other Hawaiian utilities are now working to integrate variable renewables, the highest penetration levels in the U.S., into the state’s grid and that effort will benefit from this plant’s flexibility.

Schofield would be owned and operated by HECO on land leased without payment from the U.S. Army to provide more secure power directly to Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, and Field Station Kunia.

HECO, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, has already filed an environmental impact plan on a 46-kilovolt sub-transmission line to connect the plant to Hawaii’s grid.