Hawai‘i Electric Light generation margins improve
HILO, April 21, 2016 (12 p.m.) – Hawai‘i Electric Light’s generation margins have improved due to the early return of its Hill 6 steam plant from annual overhaul.
“The return of our Hill 6 steam plant increases the number of available units and improves reserve margins. We do expect to have sufficient generation for tonight’s evening peak energy use period,” said Rhea Lee-Moku, Hawai‘i Electric Light spokeswoman.
The Hāmākua Energy Partners plant remains out of service and one of its combustion turbine units is expected to return Friday, with the second unit returning early next week. At 60 megawatts, the independent power producer normally is the second largest generating facility behind Hawai‘i Electric Light’s Keahole Power Plant which provides 79.8 megawatts of electricity. To meet generation needs, Hawai‘i Electric Light also returned its Puna steam unit, which is normally placed in standby status, to active service earlier this week.
Hawai‘i Electric Light’s normal contingency plans allow for meeting customer needs even if the largest generating unit on the system goes out of service unexpectedly. The company has a diverse portfolio of firm and variable (as-available) generation that includes about 208 megawatts provided by independent power producers and other customer-sited generation.
“As an island utility, we must be self-reliant since there is no inter-connection to neighboring utilities such as on the mainland U.S. This means having enough generators on our island to produce power during peak times when customers use the most electricity,” said Lee-Moku. “It also means we need more reserve generation to cover units that are out of service for regular maintenance and to cover a potential unplanned loss of our largest generating unit.”
The evening peak period is between 5 and 9 p.m. with the most critical period between 6 and 8 p.m. Electricity use increases to its highest level during this period as customers arrive home for the evening, cook evening meals, wash clothes, turn on lights, and take hot showers. Because solar energy is not available during the peak period, the utility depends on other energy sources including renewable (wind, hydro, geothermal) and fossil-fueled generation.
Updates will be provided to local media and posted on the company’s Twitter account @HIElectricLight and website www.hawaiielectriclight.com.