The plans to bring up another electricity generator is in the planning. Similar to Kaheawa wind, both Kent Smith and Hilton Unemori would like to bring one to the Big Island. However, unlike Kaheawa using wind, they intend to burn out Eucalyptus Trees.
On the Big Island, they formed Hamakua Biomass Energy LLC. And they plan on creating an environmental assesment for a 30-megawatt, low-emission, renewable-fuel generating station that would sell the power to Hawaiian Electric Light Company (Harry Eager,Maui News). Kent Smith indicates that this project is costing nearly $200 million. They plan to build on an old plantation for forest products, which at one point the Hamakua Sugar Company. However, due to unsuccessful conversion from a Sugar Plantation to a Foresty Plantation, they went out of business. This land was of 13,000 acres and is now owned by Kamehameha Schools.
According to the article that I've read in the Maui News, if we were to have this 30-megawatt biomass plant, we would be able to supply more than 15% to the needs of the locals compared to the 10% that was supplied last year by the Kaheawa Wind in Maui. And it's a plus that there will be power available at all times.
No harvesting or planting is being done at the moment. They plan to begin after constructions is done hopefully in the late 2010 or early 2011. Besides this Biomass Plant, there is a Veneer mill, called Tradewinds, in O'okala. And the Hamakua Biomass group hope to sell their high quality wood to not only Tradewinds but other up coming wood companies as well.
I believe that this would be a great opportunity for not only Hawaiian Electric Light Company but the people of Big Island as well. This will help the company with providing more to their customers especially when they have no electric, this would be a back up system too. I also think its a great plan to move forward with, because they conserve our fresh air from all this polluting of sulfur and chemicals being put out from oils and gas they use. And that will help our environment, because there will be less pollution in the air and we aren't burning our native plants. Eucalyptus is found to be very efficient in burning and for use in other purposes.
Aloha no,
Ipo
Resources:
- www.mauinews.com
-September 2, 2008 article by Harry Eagar,Staff Writer
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