Hawaii launches mega 900MW renewables tender

Hawaiian Electric Co (HECO) has kickstarted a colossal clean energy tender, seeking providers of 900MW worth of renewables and energy storage projects. The tender launched on Monday is the largest renewables procurement ever issued in the state, with an estimated capacity of 2,000GWh annually. The investor-owned utility is soliciting 594MW worth of solar for O'ahu island – together with 135MW for Maui and up to 203MW for Hawai'i – from local and global developers. All renewables for Maui and Hawai'i must include energy storage, whereas on O'ahu, such partnerships remain optional. Hawaii has pledged to be powered entirely by renewables by 2045. O’ahu’s 180MW AES coal-fired power plant, which meets 16% of peak power demand on the island, is due to close by September 2022. On Maui, the 27.6MW Kuhului oil-fired plant will be decommissioned in 2024. Storage on O'ahu and Maui is also being sought to replace firm generating units, which can be provided by renewable generation paired with storage or standalone storage. Contingency storage is also being sought for O'ahu and Hawai'i islands.