Tuesday, August 21, 2007

From Sugar Mill to Energy Plant



House Finance members continue their Big Island visit on Wednesday, including a stop at Hamakua Energy Partners, a 63-megawatt combined cycle plant consisting of two General Electric combustion gas turbines and a steam turbine. It is one of the few U.S. plants burning naphtha, a light petroleum product, as its primary fuel. The plant was built on the former site of the Hamakua Sugar Mill in Haina. It sells power to the Hawaii Electric Light Co., with the capacity to meet the energy needs of almost one-third of the Big Island. In April 2007, Hamakua Energy Partners was cited by the U.S. EPA for possible violation of permit requirements under the Clean Air Act. The company has pledged to work with the EPA to resolve any issues.

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