HECO is protesting the right of the County of Hawai‘i to participate in the start-up biofuel company Aina Koa Pono’s contract before the PUC.
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF HAWAI’I
In the Matter of the Application of HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, INC. HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. MAUI ELECTRIC COMPANY, LIMITED
For Approval of the Biodiesel Supply Contract with Aina Koa Pono-Ka’u LLC and for Approval to Establish a Biofijel Surcharge Provision and to Include the Biodiesel Supply Contract Costs in the Companies’ Respective Biofuel Surcharge Provision and Energy Cost Adjustment Clause.
Docket No. 2011-0005 HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, INC.’S, HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC.’S AND MAUI ELECTRIC COMPANY, LIMITED’S MEMORANDUM IN OPPOSITION TO COUNTY OF HAWAII”S MOTION TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT INTERVENTION…
First, HECO wanted to keep the details secret. Now it’s saying that the County is late, so it should not participate.
What about the County’s responsibility to look after the best interests of the people? That should count for a lot.
HECO says that the County has not stated the specific type of expertise, knowledge or experience it holds, now how it relates to the issues on this docket.
How about common sense?
The problem with this contract is that HECO is allowing Aina Koa Pono (AKP) to pass on its costs, over and above the oil cost it replaces, to the rate payer.
Sun Fuels, the most experienced company in Hawai‘i in terms of biofuel to liquid, has closed its Hawaii company because it does not think it can be competitive with diesel. One of the main issues is the company does not feel the process is scalable in Hawai‘i.
Sun Fuels’ principal, Michael Saalfeld, a Waimea resident, has actually put this process into production via a company he owns in Germany. He knows how this process works. There is no one in Hawai‘i more experienced.
So we have the most knowledgeable company in the state closing up shop because it knows it’s uneconomical to do biomass to liquid fuel here – while the company with no experience in the field gets a contract allowing it to pass on its costs of operation to Hawai‘i’s people.
AKP has settled on a Napier grass feedstock after proposing all kinds of others, which left people with the impression that they were like drunken sailors bouncing off the walls.
And HECO is protesting Hawai‘i County’s right to participate?
What is up here?