Kaua'i Island Utility Cooperative signed agreements with The AES Corporation for the development, construction, and operation of the cooperative's solar pumped storage hydro project, also known as the West Kaua'i Energy Project. A power purchase agreement was also executed and filed with the Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission for approval.
WKEP is an integrated renewable energy and irrigation project with several key components: renewable energy production via hydropower and solar photovoltaic generation, coupled with pumped hydropower and battery energy storage to shift most of the project's output into the nighttime peak. This project will offset the use of 8.5 million gallons of fossil fuels annually and supply irrigation water delivery to support diversified agriculture on state-owned lands. The project will also rehabilitate the existing Pu u Ōpae, Pu u Lua, and Mānā Reservoirs and the related ditch system infrastructure. In addition, historic diversion structures in Kokeʻe will be modified to restore and increase flow to the Waimea River in compliance with the instream flow standard established by the Waimea Watershed Agreement and adopted by the Commission on Water Resources in April 2017.
The project will be in the permitting phase through 2021. If all goes well, construction could start in 2022, with the facility operational as early as 2024. KIUC expects to begin public outreach on environmental studies as early as next month.
Read more about WKEP on KIUC's website under the "Renewables" tab.
