UPC Wind, a North American wind power company, today announced significant highlights achieved by Kaheawa Wind Power (KWP) during 2007 commercial operations. As Hawaii’s largest wind energy facility, KWP generated more than 125,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity in 2007, exceeding its production targets. During the past year, KWP also continued to implement its Habitat Conservation Plan, designed to ensure a net conservation benefit for local endangered species. KWP is the first and only wind farm in the United States to implement such a plan.
“As Maui’s first utility-scale wind project, Kaheawa Wind Power demonstrates that clean, renewable energy production is a feasible, viable commercial opportunity for Hawaii,” said Paul Gaynor, President and CEO of UPC Wind. “In addition, we are pleased that this project is playing a significant role in helping Hawaii to achieve a state-wide goal of 20 percent renewable energy generation by the year 2020.”
Below is a summary of notable achievements by the 30 megawatt facility during 2007:
Operation Highlights – - KWP generates enough clean wind power to supply electricity to more than 11,000 Maui homes each year.
- Generating an equivalent amount of electric energy from a traditional fossil fuel burning facility would have required over 236,000 barrels of oil. The Maui Electric Company (MECO) imports more than 1.6 million barrels of petroleum-based fuels every year.
- In 2007, this renewable source of energy generation avoided the release of over 91,000 tons of CO2, 440 tons of NOx and 377 tons of SO2, emissions. The amount of CO2 avoided is equivalent to the emissions of nearly 16,000 cars or more than 11,400 SUVs.
Habitat Conservation and Community Highlights – - Last year, Kaheawa Wind Power continued to implement its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The plan was developed as recommended in the project’s Environmental Impact Statement to ensure a net conservation benefit for three listed bird species and one bat species that might be affected by the project. Under the HCP, KWP is contributing a minimum of $1,000,000 to mitigation and wildlife conservation efforts, including funding for critical research needs, propagation of young birds for future release and the protection of remote nesting areas in interior Maui.
- As a direct result of these efforts, KWP biologists made significant discoveries in 2007 of breeding colonies of endangered seabirds in interior West Maui that were previously unknown to Hawaii’s conservation community. KWP is working closely with state and federal biologists and other conservation partners to more fully document existing conditions at the colonies, and implement appropriate and beneficial conservation and protection measures.
- In addition to the HCP activities, KWP began to restore native plants at the project site that were displaced during construction. As part of the restoration project, KWP contracted with Hoolawa Farms to propagate 15,000 specimens of the native plant a‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa) from seeds collected by volunteers during the development and construction of the wind farm. Installation of these initial plants was accomplished by KWP staff and local contractors, with the help of numerous community volunteers through the summer and fall of 2007. Additional plantings are scheduled for 2008 and beyond.
- Also in 2007, KWP biologists installed the first experimental plantings of native pili grass in cooperation with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. It is hoped that these experimental plantings will serve as a demonstration project for expanded restoration efforts on the site, and at other conservation sites throughout Maui.
“In addition to the clean energy produced by Kaheawa Wind Power and associated environmental benefits, the wind farm has played a major role in stabilizing and reducing the cost of energy on Maui,” said Michael Alvarez, Executive Vice President and COO of UPC Wind. “Since it achieved commercial operations, the project has sold all of its output to Maui Electric Company at rates that will save the utility over $4 million annually as compared to current avoided cost contracts.”
In addition to increasing domestic energy production and increasing energy security, wind power is considered cost competitive with conventional sources of electricity, such as oil or gas. Unlike traditional polluting sources of energy, wind has no fuel cost, therefore serving as a natural hedge against volatile fuel prices, which constitutes a significant portion of monthly electricity bills in most markets in the United States. Wind power also emits no greenhouse gases or other damaging pollutants.
About First Wind
First Wind is based in Newton, Massachusetts. First Wind is an American-owned company, with a proven track record of developing, owning, and operating well-sited, community-friendly wind farms that increase energy independence. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com.
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For more information, contact:
John Lamontagne
Director, Communications
First Wind
617-964-3340
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