US-based wind energy company First Wind has completed construction and commenced commercial operations at its 69MW Kawailoa Wind project on Oahu’s North Shore in Hawaii.
The project is designed to supply clean wind energy required to power about 14,500 homes on the island and decrease the use of 300,000 barrels of oil per annum.
Kawailoa’s total output has the potential to cater to about 5-10% of Oahu’s annual electrical demand and is currently the largest wind energy project in Hawaii.
First Wind CEO Paul Gaynor said that this project represents the company’s fourth project in Hawaii to achieve commercial operations over a six-year period.
“Now with our Kawailoa project online, First Wind’s combined projects on Oahu and Maui have the capacity to generate enough clean energy to serve over 40,000 businesses and homes in local communities throughout Hawaii,” Gaynor added.
The Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) signed a power purchase agreement with First Wind to procure the output from the wind farm.
Hawaiian Electric Company president and CEO Dick Rosenblum remarked, “Wind power is an important clean energy resource for Hawaii and one of the keys to breaking our dependence on imported oil.”