Hawaiian Electric Industries
Encyclopedia
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.. (HEI; ) is the largest supplier of electricity in the state
of Hawaii
, suppling power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Maui Electric Company, Limited. In addition, HEI owns a financial institution serving Hawaii, American Savings Bank
. (The island of Kauai
is the only island in the state not supplied by HEI. Instead, the consumer-owned Kauai Island Utility Cooperative manages the island's electricity.)
HECO, HELCO, and MECO employ more than 2,000 people. Approximately 20,000 Hawaii residents are shareholders of HECO’s parent company, Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI). The company is headquartered in Honolulu
.
. By 1914 HECO had started rural service to the windward side of the island and was marketing electric products like refrigerators and flat irons. By 1937 HECO broke ground on its second power plant, and transmission lines soon crisscrossed Oahu.
Hawaii became a state in 1959, and by then the entire island of Oahu was electrified. Massive power plants, some still in operation today, came online. HECO flipped the switch on a 116,000-KW plant in downtown Honolulu in 1954. And the state's first reheat steam turbine generator went on line at Kahe on the west coast of Oahu. Today, Kahe is the state's largest plant with a total generating capacity of 650,000-KW.
Maui: total firm generating capability is 290.1 megawatts for 67,489 customers.
Big Island: total firm generating capability 291.9 megawatts for 79,813 customers.
industry in Hawai’i.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, suppling power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Maui Electric Company, Limited. In addition, HEI owns a financial institution serving Hawaii, American Savings Bank
American Savings Bank
American Savings Bank is Hawaii's third-largest financial institution, with assets of $6.7 billion. A subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries , it is headed by Chairman Constance Lau....
. (The island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
is the only island in the state not supplied by HEI. Instead, the consumer-owned Kauai Island Utility Cooperative manages the island's electricity.)
HECO, HELCO, and MECO employ more than 2,000 people. Approximately 20,000 Hawaii residents are shareholders of HECO’s parent company, Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI). The company is headquartered in Honolulu
Honolulu County, Hawaii
The City and County of Honolulu is a consolidated city–county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The municipality and county includes both the urban district of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian...
.
History
Hawaiian Electric Company (often abbreviated HECO, pronounced HEE-coh) incorporated on October 13, 1891. Within about 16 years the utility had 2,500 customers on the island of OahuOahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. By 1914 HECO had started rural service to the windward side of the island and was marketing electric products like refrigerators and flat irons. By 1937 HECO broke ground on its second power plant, and transmission lines soon crisscrossed Oahu.
War and Statehood
During WWII HECO power plants, now linked to busy military bases, generated more than one million kilowatt hours of electricity each day.Hawaii became a state in 1959, and by then the entire island of Oahu was electrified. Massive power plants, some still in operation today, came online. HECO flipped the switch on a 116,000-KW plant in downtown Honolulu in 1954. And the state's first reheat steam turbine generator went on line at Kahe on the west coast of Oahu. Today, Kahe is the state's largest plant with a total generating capacity of 650,000-KW.
Island Expansion
HECO purchased Maui Electric Company (abbreviated MECO and pronounced ME-coh) in 1968. In 1970 HECO also acquired the Big Island's Hilo Electric Light Company (later to be renamed Hawaii Electric Light Company, abbreviated HELCO and pronounced HELL-coh). MECO had expansion plans of its own. In 1988, it acquired the Lanai City power plant on the island of Lanai, and in 1989, Molokai Electric Company on the island of Molokai.Generation
Oahu: total firm generating capability is 1,817 megawatts for 295,282 customers.| HECO Owned Plants (oil) | Megawatts |
|---|---|
| Honolulu | 1543 |
| Waiau | 499 |
| Kahe | 651 |
| CIP | 120 |
| Independent power producers | Megawatts |
| H-POWER (waste-to-energy Waste-to-energy Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery... ) |
46 |
| Kalaeloa Partners, L.P. (oil) | 208 |
| AES-Hawaii (coal) | 180 |
Maui: total firm generating capability is 290.1 megawatts for 67,489 customers.
| MECO Owned Plants (oil) | Megawatts |
|---|---|
| Maalaea | 212.1 |
| Kahului | 37.6 |
| Lanai | 10.4 |
| Molokai | 12.01 |
| Hana (Dispersed generation) | 2.0 |
| Independent power producers | Megawatts |
| HC&S (hydro, bagasse, coal, recycled oil, oil) | 16 |
| Maui Non-firm Generation (as-available) | Megawatts |
| Kaheawa Wind Farm | 30 |
| Makila Hydro | .5 |
| Lanai Sustainability Research (PV) | 1.2 |
Big Island: total firm generating capability 291.9 megawatts for 79,813 customers.
| HELCO power plants (oil) | Megawatts |
|---|---|
| Hill | 35.5 |
| Puna | 36.5 |
| Keahole | 80.6 |
| Kanoelehua | 21.8 |
| Shipman | 15.2 |
| Waimea | 8.3 |
| Dispersed generation | 4.0 |
| Independent power producers | Megawatts |
| Puna Geothermal Venture | 30 |
| Hamakua Energy Partners (naphtha Naphtha Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the... ) |
60 |
| Non-firm generation (as-available) | Megawatts |
| HELCO’s Lalamilo wind farm | 2.3 |
| HELCO’s Puueo & Waiau units (hydro) | 4.35 |
| Apollo Energy Corp.(wind) | 20.5 |
| Wailuku River Hydroelectric | 12.1 |
| Hawi Renewable Development (wind) | 10.56 |
| Keahole Solar Power (concentrated solar power) | .5 |
| Other small producers (wind, hydro, oil) | <1 |
Electric vehicles
Through a cooperative effort with HECO, High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC), an agency of the State of Hawai’i, initiated the Hawai’i Electric Vehicle Demonstration Project (HEVDP) consortium to develop an electric vehicleElectric vehicle
An electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
industry in Hawai’i.