HONOLULU — A subsidiary of Eurus Energy American Corp. is planning to build a wind farm on the eastern slope of the Waianae range on Oahu.
Hawaiian Electric Co. announced Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with EE Ewa LLC to buy electricity from the Palehua Wind project, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. The utility said the project is key to reaching the state’s goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.
Under the agreement filed with the state Public Utilities Commission, Hawaiian Electric would buy electricity for 10.9 cents per kilowatt-hour over 22 years.
The farm is expected to be capable of generating about 150,000 megawatt-hours of energy each year from 13 turbines. The project is planned on 2½ square miles (6½ square kilometers) owned by Gill ‘Ewa Lands LLC.
“Hawaii’s clean energy future depends on a diverse mix of renewable energy resources,” said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for business development and strategic planning. “Palehua Wind will be an important addition to the resources available on Oahu, providing lower-cost energy for customers, a cleaner environment for our communities and supporting Gill ‘Ewa Lands stewardship.”
If approved, the project would be the fourth wind farm on Oahu. The 12-turbine Kahuku Wind and 30-turbine Kawailoa Wind are operating, while the eight-turbine Na Pua Makani is under development.
Eurus Energy America Corp. is the parent company of EE Ewa LLC and the North American arm of Japan-based Eurus Energy Holdings.
The project aims to be more efficient than earlier ones by using the latest turbine technology, said Nick Henriksen, vice president of development for Eurus Energy America Corp.
“One of the benefits of this project is not only does it get Hawaii and HECO closer toward the 100 percent goal but is also generating renewable energy at the time when solar energy isn’t available,” Henriksen said.
Palehua Wind is expected to be operational by December 2022, pending permit and commission approvals.