HECO starts $55M project
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Hawaiian Electric Co. took the first formal step toward building its $55 million underground transmission line project along the streets of Honolulu by filing its application with the state Public Utilities Commission yesterday.
The utility's plan is to bury nearly three miles of 46,000-volt lines under streets in the McCully-Mo'ili'ili area over the next five years, a project that will require the excavation of some of the city's busiest streets. Paying for the project will raise monthly residential bills on O'ahu by as much as $1 a month for about 40 years.
Hawaiian Electric held a series of public meetings earlier this year for help in choosing the route from among three possibilities. HECO says the project will increase the reliability of power transmission to East Honolulu and Waikiki.
Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land, an environmental watchdog group that has consistently opposed the line, said his group will file a motion to intervene in the PUC action in hopes of stopping the project.
Curtis said HECO has never demonstrated the need for the project or looked seriously at a widely used alternative, distributed generation, in which small power generation facilities are established near the area where power is needed.
The public has 20 days to file motions to intervene, and other groups such as Malama O Manoa and the Outdoor Circle have done so in other such cases. The PUC will then determine who can be included in the docket.
The new proposal is HECO's alternative to its planned $35 million transmission line along Wa'ahila Ridge, which was rejected last year by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
HECO's official filing is the first step in what typically has been a lengthy review process involving public hearings and investigation. The commission will try to determine whether the benefits of a new transmission line outweigh the cost to ratepayers and ultimately will decide whether the project can proceed.
Upon PUC approval, the Kamoku 46 kV Underground-Expanded alternative would be built in two phases, the first between the Makaloa Substation and McCully Substation along Makaloa, Kalakaua, Fern, Pumehana and Lime streets and the second along King Street from the Archer Substation on HECO's Ward Avenue property to the intersection of McCully and Young streets.
In response to public concerns about noise, safety and traffic disruption, HECO will voluntarily conduct an environmental assessment for the project. The assessment will include an analysis of issues such as construction impacts and the effects of electric and magnetic fields.
Performing the assessment will cost an additional $500,000 and take about nine months, according to HECO, though it should not cause the same delay in concluding the project, since much of the work can be done at the same time as other design and planning.
"Voluntarily performing the EA should keep this vital project on track," said Robbie Alm, senior vice president of public affairs. "Oahu's electrical system is already at risk and that risk will only increase with time. At the same time, we do take very seriously the concerns of the community that is directly impacted by the construction of this line. An environmental assessment will allow us to address those concerns."
Also in response to community concerns, HECO will take another look at running the line under Kapi'olani Boulevard from Makaloa Substation to McCully Substation rather than through residential neighborhoods.
HECO previously rejected the Kapi'olani route because it has more traffic, which would increase traffic control coordination and costs. Kapi'olani does not have existing underground ducts that may be used instead of trenching to create a path for the lines, but it is already heavily used as a utility corridor by other utilities. It is also somewhat longer than the proposed route alignment.
Curtis said the PUC can choose to wait until the environmental assessment is completed before starting the hearing process or decide to first resolve its recently opened docket on distributed generation before opening the transmission line case.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
