First Wind Receives DOE Loan Guarantee for Hawaii Wind Farm

First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, on Friday received a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a $117 million loan guarantee to finance the construction of its proposed 30 megawatt (MW) Kahuku Wind project. 

Located in Kahuku, Hawaii, the project will have the capacity to power about 7,700 Oahu homes each year.  First Wind plans to include innovative technology in this project, including a battery energy storage system.

The Kahuku Wind project will support the ambitious Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, which aims to have 70% of the state’s energy for electricity and ground transportation come from clean energy by 2030. The work on the Kahuku Wind project will create wind jobs during design, engineering and construction including approximately 200 construction jobs.

The project is in final permitting stages. Construction will begin after the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approves the project and the DOE guaranteed funding is in place.

First Wind intends to incorporate a 15 MVA, 10 MW/hour battery energy storage system to enhance electricity load stability.  Developed by Xtreme Power, of Kyle, Texas, the patented battery system will enable the Kahuku Wind project to store energy and provide as much as 10 MW of power for at least an hour during periods of low wind speeds. The Kahuku Wind project will also include twelve 2.5 MW Clipper Liberty™ turbines (CWP.L).  Manufactured in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Liberty turbines are the largest wind turbines manufactured in North America.

The DOE’s Loan Programs Office manages the nation’s green energy loan portfolio and is authorized to issue loan guarantees under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 for eligible projects that (a) avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and (b) employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.

“Given today’s difficult financing environment for these types of projects, the loan guarantee will be an important part in securing the necessary financing to build this next-generation wind energy project,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind.

First Wind successfully built and currently operates Hawaii’s largest wind energy facility, the 30 MW Kaheawa Wind project in Maui. Kaheawa Wind serves nearly 9% of Maui’s annual electricity needs with clean, renewable energy–enough to supply nearly 11,000 households annually. As part of the Kaheawa project, First Wind also implemented what it believes is the nation’s first Habitat Conservation Plan for a working wind energy project.

The Kahuku project will also feature a Habitat Conservation Plan so that endangered species can be protected near the project.

First Wind has a partnership in Hawaii with Makani Nui Associates, a Hawai‘i-based company. The partnership developed, constructed, financed, owns and operates Kaheawa Wind Power I.  Makani Nui is also a partner in the Kahuku Wind project.