Hawaiian Electric to Build $142 Million Biofuel Plant

Date: August 7, 2007

Source: News Room

Hawaiian Electric Co. has won approval to build the state's first commercial biofuel plant. HECO will build the $142.3 million facility at Campbell Industrial Park on Oahu beginning early next year, and expects to begin commercial operation in mid-2009. It will run exclusively on fuels made from ethanol or biodiesel. It will also be the first substantial new power generator HECO has added in 17 years.

The 110-megawatt plant, which will have two buildings, two fuel tanks, three water tanks and one 210-foot-high exhaust stack, will be part of HECO's 1,700-megawatt power generation system. It is designed to run several hours each day to help deal with peak usage, which occurs between 5 and 9 p.m. as people return from work.

Another biofuel project, the BlueEarth Maui Biodiesel LLC refinery on Maui, is set to open in 2009. In a partnership with HECO, it would generate 40 million gallons of biodiesel from imported vegetable oils in its first year for Maui Electric Co.

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