Rival plans second Maui wind farm

By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau

Construction hasn't even begun on Maui's first wind farm, and there's talk about developing a second one.

The company that failed in its bid for a state land lease allowing installation of wind turbines on a blustery ridge above Ma'alaea said it still is interested in developing a wind farm there.

Brian Hayashida, president of Hawai'i Wind Energy LLC, said his company is examining a number of other development options, including construction of a wind farm next to the Kaheawa Pastures site where Hawi Renewable Development Inc. plans to build with assistance from GE Wind Energy.

That project was awarded land lease rights from the state Board of Land and Natural Resources on March 1 with a plan to create a 20-megawatt wind farm using 27 or more wind turbines on state conservation land at 2,000- to 3,300-foot elevation between Ma'alaea and Olowalu.

Hayashida said his company — which has formed a partnership with Global

Renewable Energy Partners Inc. of La Jolla, Calif., under the name Ukumehame Development Co. LLC — is looking at the possibility of creating a wind farm, perhaps half as large, on land next to and downwind of the Hawi development.

"We wouldn't want to interfere with their project in any way,'' he said.

Richard Horn, president of Chico, Calif.-based Hawi Development, said yesterday he would object to an adjacent wind farm if it influenced wind quality for his $30 million project. A study would be needed, he said.

Hayashida said the company has completed a lot of work at the Kaheawa Pastures site, but much more would be needed for a second project, including a study to determine whether Maui Electric Co. could even take the extra power.

Ukumehame Development plans to install a couple of anemometers in the area to gather wind data, he said.

Sam Lemmo, senior planner with the state Land Division, said officials would have to determine whether another wind farm is feasible at the site before entertaining another proposal.

If deemed acceptable, another conservation district use application and supplementary environmental impact statement likely would be needed, he said.

Hayashida said his company is also looking at other locations around the state to develop a wind farm.

Horn said his Maui project is still a year and a half from construction.

Negotiations are continuing on the land lease and power-purchase agreements, he said, and the Public Utilities Commission must sign off on the project.