Hawaii coal power plant to be dismantled, transitioned to renewables facility

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – AES Corp. said it will spend $20 million over the next two years to dismantle its coal power plant in Campbell Industrial Park.

But on the ashes of the shuttered complex, the company is considering building a new battery storage complex.

“I see energy storage as a very solid technology that is going to be part of the rest of the renewables,” said Bernerd Da Santos, chief operating officer and president of AES Global Renewables.

“Wind is going to remain, solar is going to remain.”

AES has a similar battery system operating near Los Angeles.

It receives and stores electricity generated during off-peak hours ― like mid-day when the sun is up or at night when the wind is blowing and demand is low.

It then discharges up to four hours of energy as demand picks up in the early evening.

AES said the battery system can even connect to and store energy from solar and wind farms that it doesn’t own.

Before any decision can be made about alternative uses for the power plant, the company needs to demolish it, which will cost money and will take time time.

“The investment in order to make this site go to the original condition is around $20 million,” said Da Santos.

The company also needs to obtain permits to dismantle the power plant and recycle all of the metal and equipment.

All that work will be done in two years.

The cost will be paid for by the company and not by local ratepayers, AES said.

A new battery storage facility also would need approvals from Hawaiian Electric and the Public Utilities Commission.

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