The Army plans to decide by the end of the year whether to go ahead with a power plant proposed for Schofield Barracks.

The Army would lease Central Oahu land for the plant to Hawaiian Electric. The utility would operate the plant using at least 50 percent biofuels.

The plant would supply electricity to Oahu’s power grid. During outages, the plant would first power Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and Field Station Kunia. Any leftover capacity would supply the grid.

The Army on Friday released an environmental impact statement for the plant. The study concludes the project’s effect on the environment and culture would be less than significant.

The plant could also help restart other plants on the island in the event of an island-wide power outage.