Auwahi Wind Facility Opens in Hawaii

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and BP Wind Energy have teamed up on a wind power generation project in Hawaii. The companies recently announced the beginning of full commercial operation of the 21 megawatt (MW) Auwahi Wind facility, which includes eight new wind turbines on the southeast ridge of Maui's Haleakala volcano.

The new wind farm will produce enough energy to power 10,000 typical Maui homes. In order to deal with the issue of intermittent power generation, the farm features a 10 MW battery capable of storing 4.4 megawatt-hours of power for backup power during light wind conditions.

"We are very pleased to complete construction of Auwahi Wind both on time and on budget," said Jeffrey W. Martin, president and CEO of Sempra U.S. Gas & Power. "The addition of new, clean energy from our project will be a boost for Maui's infrastructure and will help Hawaii achieve its goal of securing 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030."

180 workers were employed during construction, which began in March 2012. The wind farm will employ four full-time employees.

The State of Hawaii has been making strides towards a sustainable future powered with renewables. Last July, Hawaiian Electric Co. reached a solar power milestone, when it completed 20 MW of solar photovoltaic energy on the island of Oahu. That was followed by an announcement made by Forest City Hawaii and Hawaiian Electric Company when the companies reached a power purchase agreement for up to one megawatt of solar photovoltaic (PV) power to be generated at the Kapolei Sustainable Energy Park in Kapolei, also in Oahu.

Image credit: Sempra