Agreement puts Keahole
plant one step closer

By Rod Thompson
Star-Bulletin

KAILUA-KONA -- One step in the complicated dispute over the building of a new 58-megawatt power plant at Keahole, North Kona, has been resolved with an agreement by the Hawaii County Department of Public Works to issue eight new permits for the project.

Even with the permits, the Hawaii Electric Light Co. has to overcome other hurdles before resuming construction.

The Keahole Defense Coalition, opponents of the project planned by Helco, had challenged the permits under which the company was doing preliminary work on the plant.

The group, which says the plant will create air pollution, filed an action against the county saying work should not be authorized while a key state air quality permit is on appeal before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Judge Ronald Ibarra had issued an order halting work until yesterday.

Out of court, the county and the opponents came to an agreement which involved canceling eight existing county permits and then the county issuing eight new ones.

While the result might seem the same, Michael Matsukawa, attorney for the opponents, said there is now a recognition that no work should be done until approval is granted by the EPA and the state Department of Health.

County attorney Gerald Takase noted that the Department of Health earlier fined Helco for doing prohibited work, and the EPA has issued a Notice of Violation that also tells the company it is doing prohibited work.

Helco President Warren Lee declined to comment on the new agreement, but said the company is still eager to replace old equipment at Keahole.

"We need the power plant because we need to get rid of some of these obsolete generators," he said.