Feds, fishermen discuss offshore wind farm plans

Hawaii residents said at a public meeting Monday they want the state to consider the impact two potential offshore wind farms could have on fishing and a culturally significant site.

Federal and state officials hosted the meeting on proposals to build in two spots approximately 12 to 17 miles off Oahu’s shores. Building approximately 100 turbines between the two areas would provide about 800 megawatts of renewable power — the same amount Hawaiian Electric Co. said it needs to support Oahu’s energy needs and reach the state’s goal of 100 percent of its power generation coming from renewable energy.

Abigail Ross Harper, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said the purpose of the meeting was to explain the process and for the agency to learn what the community’s questions and concerns are.

“This is not a predetermined outcome. We are gathering information,” Harper said. “We really welcome the opportunity to keep that dialogue up.”

The two companies looking to harness the wind are AW Hawaii Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Danish-based Alpha Wind Energy, and Progression Energy LLC. AW Hawaii wants to build two projects: an Oahu South project, consisting of 51 wind turbines 17 miles south of Diamond Head, and the 51-turbine Oahu Northwest project 12 miles northwest of Kaena Point. Oregon-based Progression Energy LLC wants to bring 50 turbines to a site 15 miles off Oahu’s South Shore.

The BOEM said it will select two projects at most from among the three proposals. The total capacity for the two projects would be enough to provide about 30 percent of Oahu’s electric power needs.

Cynthia Rezentes, chairwoman of the Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board, said she wanted the local community’s knowledge of fishing and the cultural significance of Kaena Point to be recognized by the BOEM as the agency moves forward with the companies interested in building offshore wind facilities.

“The biggest thing for us is we have people who have a lot of intrinsic knowledge of the area and would like to make sure that that knowledge is communicated, what we have done traditionally for many, many years,” Rezentes said.

Rezentes said Kaena Point’s cultural significance needs to be taken into account as it is a “leina a ka uhane,” or a place in Hawaiian mythology where souls depart to the afterlife.

One impact on local fishermen is that the floating turbines would attract large populations of fish.

“It’s typically a good feeding ground,” Rezentes said. “Are we going to have 51 fish aggregating devices out there we can’t access, or will we be able to access?”

Ron Tam, secretary of the Hawaii Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition, said that it is important for BOEM to understand what the local fishermen perceive to be an impact.

“It’s a learning process,” Tam said. “We must speak to each other. Its not an adversarial relationship. We need to learn we need to better understand what the impact is going to be on the fishery.”

Progression Energy officials attended the meeting and spoke to community members who voiced concerns.

Roughly 25 members of the community attended the Monday event, ranging from renewable-energy companies to local fishermen.

Local stakeholders on the task force underlined the importance of reaching out to members of the community.

Asia Yeary, a local representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, asked the BOEM multiple times how the agency can make sure the companies listen to the community’s concerns.

Other groups involved in the permitting and planning process at the meeting included the Federal Aviation Administration, Honolulu Airports District Office; state Department of Land and Natural Resources; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Pacific Region; Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy; and U.S. Marine Corps Forces.