Posted on: Saturday, April 23, 2005

Kaua'i considers H-Power-type plant

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Mayor Bryan Baptiste wants to build a waste-to-energy plant — perhaps similar to Honolulu's H-Power facility — as part of a broad, concerted effort to move the island toward more energy self-sufficiency.

Details of such a system have not been fleshed out, but he said his administration last week discussed the concept generally with the County Council, and he hopes to send out a formal request for proposals before the end of his current term in office, late next year.

The idea is already generating heat. County Councilwoman and former mayor JoAnn Yukimura said the administration seems to have jumped onto the H-Power bandwagon without spending much time looking at alternatives.

"There is no disagreement that we have to become more self-sufficient, but I haven't seen the analysis yet. The update of our solid waste master plan isn't due until next year. If they want to do anything in a hurry, it would be to accelerate the solid waste plan," Yukimura said.

Baptiste also envisions a biomass power-generating plant that would burn wood chips from tree farms, solar power, small hydroelectric facilities and perhaps wind generation — all in the interest of reducing the $35 million to $40 million the island's electric utility pays each year for oil.

"As we take a look at the world picture, it's becoming increasingly important, especially for an isolated island like Kaua'i, to be as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to energy production. This is especially evident as we consider the instability of both the source and the price of crude oil," he said.

Baptiste said he has been in discussions with three firms interested in building a plant that would burn the county's trash, and use the heat to produce electricity. It would be the only such plant on the Neighbor Islands.

O'ahu's H-Power facility burns more than 2,000 tons of the island's waste each day, reducing its volume to about 10 percent. It produces up to 7 percent of the island's power. Kaua'i produces only about 200 tons daily, but the firms feel it's enough for a plant, he said.

"It's time for us to take a closer look at how we view potential resources that are inherent to this island. For example, our waste could be an asset instead of a liability," Baptiste said.

Baptiste would not name the firms, but he confirmed that the island's sole sugar firm, Gay & Robinson, which has previously proposed an H-Power-type plant, is among them. At least one of the firms proposes a plant that would include plasma arc technology as part of its proposal.

The island's electric utility is receptive to discussions about alternative sources of power generation, and has been reviewing potential alternatives to oil, said Dutch Achenbach, president of the Kaua'i Island Utility Co-op.

"We are brothers in peril, if you will. We share the same concerns for our members as the county does for its residents. Right now, 46 percent of every dollar that you spend on your power bill (on Kaua'i) goes to the price of oil. It's a great big wake-up call," Achenbach said.

The county would still have to pay to drop off its trash at a waste-to-energy plant, but it is now costing about $96 a ton to put the trash in the landfill. Preliminary discussions suggest the companies might be able to accept the trash at less than that. Baptiste said the county would still need a small landfill to handle the ash from the facility.

Yukimura said she is not necessarily opposed to waste-to-energy, but worries about stack emissions and the toxicity of the ash that comes from the plant. She suggested the county explore trash reduction scenarios rather than simply creating a lot of it and burning it.

"Right now, our solid-waste situation is like unmetered water — when people don't know what it costs, they tend to use a lot more. How about other ideas, like a 'pay as you throw' system that gives people direct feedback about their decisions," she said.

"It is a political football, but why not consider these things?" Yukimura said.

The mayor said he wants to promote other forms of energy self-sufficiency as well, including a biomass energy plant that can solve two problems — local energy production and keeping the island green in the form of farmed trees or fast-growing grasses.

"My biggest goal is biomass. Unless we can produce positive monetary incentives to landowners to keep their land in agriculture, they're not going to have many alternatives.

"We can't just keep talking about preserving the rural character. We have to put things in place to be sure it's viable," he said.

In other energy self-sufficiency efforts, the county's Office of Economic Development is involved in a pilot project to put solar photovoltaic cells on one of the county's office buildings. Another project involves studying the use of methane gas produced at the county's Kekaha Landfill.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.