Wind farm could
help power Maui
Its capacity could equal 15%
of Maui's peak demand
WAILUKU >> A commercial wind farm set to begin operations by the end of next year could someday provide Maui with as much as 30 megawatts of power on a windy day.
The facility at Keheawa Pastures, one of two wind power projects planned for the Valley Isle, will have 20 generators, each capable of producing 1.5 megawatts of power.
The County Council Energy and Economic Development Committee heard presentations about the two projects last week.
Maui Electric Co. needs about 200 megawatts on a busy day, so the wind farm could provide a substantial portion of electrical power.
However, the power generated by the wind farm won't affect Maui Electric's planned expansions of fuel turbines, at least at first, said Stanley Kiyonaga, the utility's manager of power supply.
The two wind projects are "very pleasing and appealing to us," Kiyonaga said, but will "not be a factor in capacity planning."
www.co.maui.hi.us
