Army seeks input on power plant impact statement

The Army has invited the public to comment on a draft environmental impact statement for the construction and operation of a 50-megawatt biofuel-capable power generation plant that is expected to be put in service by 2017.

Hawaiian Electric Co. will own and operate the Schofield Generating Station Project on 8.13 acres of land leased from the Army. The project is a quick-starting facility located away from the shoreline.

Funding for the $170 million plant still needs to be approved by the state Public Utilities Commission.

The plant would help maintain grid stability as the turbines of the new units could quickly ramp up and down to help manage fluctuations with wind and solar energy, HECO spokes­man Darren Pai said.

"This generation station could help with the integration of other renewables," Pai said. "It is the type of quick-starting, fast-acting generation that can be more responsive from changes of output from wind farms and solar."

The plant will be partially powered by biofuel, Pai said.

"We are proposing to use a cost-effective blend of fuels with biofuel," he said.

Along with providing power to Oahu’s grid, the plant would serve as a backup source of energy for Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and Field Station Kunia.

The public has 45 days from Friday’s release of the draft to June 8 to comment. Two public meetings will be held during that time frame. One meeting will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. May 20 at Mili­lani Mauka Elementary School cafeteria, and another will be held at the same time on May 21 at the Wahiawa District Park Recreation Center.

Some of the environmental impacts that the draft evaluates are land use, airspace use, visual resources, air quality, noise, traffic and transportation.

Environmental and clean energy groups said the plant would help renewable-energy goals but that there are better options.

"It allows diversity of sources," said Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land. "It would be better if it were all biofuel."

Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation, said while the plant is a step in the right direction as some of the fuel can be produced locally, it may be an outdated solution.

"It can match renewables much better than the power plants we have," Miku­lina said. "The world is going to change in terms of technology. Any large commitment to build a new facility, as efficient as it may be, may be undercut by the renewable option."