Hawaiian Electric May Have To Build A New Oil-Fired Power Plant On Maui

A looming lack of spare parts may force Hawaiian Electric to build a whole new power plant on Maui if it can’t find another supplier or alternative solution.

maui locator badgeIn March, Hawaiian Electric alerted the state Public Utilities Commission about the unexpected shutdown of a Japanese parts supplier that appears to be the sole manufacturer of spare parts required to keep four oil-burning Mitsubishi generators at the island’s Maalaea power plant running smoothly.

Installed in the 1980s, these diesel-powered engines are capable of meeting nearly a quarter of Maui’s peak demand for electricity, according to Jim Kelly, spokesman for Hawaiian Electric, which powers 95% of the state’s 1.4 million residents on Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and the Big Island.

The engines are running fine today. But they require new parts every two and a half years as part of their routine maintenance.

Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/05/maui-may-build-a-new-oil-fired-power-plant/