Posted on: Wednesday, November 10, 2004

HELCO project detailed

Advertiser Staff

HILO, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Electric Light Co. has released a draft environmental impact statement for its long-planned project to expand the Keahole Generating Station in Kona.

The public has until Dec. 23 to comment on the impact statement, which was prepared as part of HELCO's effort to have the land at the Keahole plant reclassified as urban land under state law, and rezoned to general industrial under the county zoning code.

The property is classified as conservation land under state law, and is zoned as open space under the county zoning code.

The Keahole Generating Station and the airport substation were built in 1973 with permission from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The $100 million first phase of HELCO expansion of the plant would boost the output from about 30 megawatts to a total of 53 megawatts. A second phase of the expansion would increase production to up to 68 megawatts.

A megawatt is enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes.