Sempra Energy’s subsidiary, Sempra Generation declared that it has signed an accord with Maui Electric Company to trade 21 MW of wind generated power from the Auwahi Wind project on the Ulupalakua Ranch located in the southeastern area of Maui. The accord is to be approved by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.
The Auwahi Wind project, which is expected to commence its construction in the early part of 2012, is currently being subjected to extensive ecological assessment by federal and state agencies and Maui County.
Once the approval has been received, the project will create around 150 job opportunities during its construction phase and 5 permanent job positions afterwards. The wind project, which is anticipated to get completed in late 2012, will produce enough electricity to power around 10,000 standard homes in Maui and will take Hawaii close to its target of achieving 40% of energy use from renewable sources.
In addition to trading the wind power, Sampra Generation will also include a battery storage facility in the wind project that is important to integrate irregular power reliably. The proposed battery facility, which is capable of storing around 12 MW of clean power, will assist Maui Electric to regulate erratic wind power and maintain grid stability.
Source: http://www.semprageneration.com