Haberler

Strict requirements by utility kill potential geothermal project in Hawaii

Video footage of Puna Geothermal plant in Hawaii (source: screenshot KiTV)
Alexander Richter 15 Şub 2016

Strict requirements by Hawaiian electric utility HELCO seem to have killed negotiations on a possible 25 MW geothermal development in Hawaii. This is according to Ormat, the company that negotiated on the project with HELCO.

The geothermal project tendered out by Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO), the local utility in Hawaii, seems to fail yet again. This might not be surprising given the history of the project and how HELCO

There is still the overall feeling that HELCO has handled it. Last year, I wrote an article saying that HELCO seems to “never seriously considered a geothermal option and then only reacted if there was no other choice.”

This was based on comments by companies, “that have been bidding in the geothermal RFP and felt that HELCO consciously delayed the process. HELCO even signed a contract with a biomass company at a higher PPA price than that offered by some of the bidders for the geothermal RFP right when they cancelled the initial RFP and declared the initial bids insufficient.”

In an article published in Hawaii before the weekend, the strict requirements set by HELCO seem to having now killed the negotiations on the development by Ormat.

In a statement, Ormat said that it “withdrew from contract negotiations with the utility because the strict requirements of the request for proposals was not economically viable.” … this is basically a year after Ormat Technologies was selected by HELCO after an RFP process.

There now seem to be frustrations all around, but – and one has to think – maybe not for HELCO, which did not seem to be that interested at all to see geothermal development.

Source: Pacific Business News