June 23, 2015
Hawaii

Champlin’s $90M Kahuku wind farm project on agenda for public meeting Tuesday

Duane Shimogawa | Pacific Business News | www.bizjournals.com

California-based Champlin Hawaii Holdings LLC plans to hold a public meeting Tuesday regarding its proposed $90 million Na Pua Makani wind farm in Kahuku on Oahu’s North Shore.

The meeting, which will be held at the Kahuku Village Association Community Center and also include a representative from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will address the 24-megawatt wind farm project’s draft environmental impact statement.

Three years of studies, reports and analyses concluded that no significant impacts will result from the project.

Champlin contends that the wind farm, which will be located near SunEdison’s 30-megawatt Kahuku Wind farm, will help stabilize electricity rates for customers.

The developer also will create a $2 million benefit fund for the Kahuku community.

The deadline for submitting comments in response to the project’s draft EIS is August 1, with the kickoff for the comment period beginning on Tuesday at the meeting.

In January, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved the project’s 20-year power purchase agreement between Hawaiian Electric Co. and Champlin, as first reported by PBN.

The PUC also approved HECO’s request to forgo the competitive bidding process for the planned project, which is expected to begin construction later this year and be operational by early 2016.

Champlin and its affiliates currently have more than 4,500 megawatts of wind energy projects under development nationwide. The Kahuku project would be the company’s first project in Hawaii.

Oahu’s North Shore is already home to SunEdison’s 30-megawatt Kahuku Wind and the 69-megawatt Kawailoa Wind farms.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/06/23/champlins-90m-kahuku-wind-farm-project-on-agenda-for-public-meeting-tuesday/