Green Energy Hawaii Begins Power Generation at New Biomass Plant

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Independent power producer Green Energy Hawaii LLC (Lihue, Hawaii) has begun producing power from its new biomass power plant located on the island of Kauai. The view from the site is glorious, as it sits amid sugar cane and pineapple plantations and is less than a mile from the filming location of "Jurassic Park."

The 6.7-megawatt plant has been 10 years in the making, at an estimated cost of $90 million, and now provides the island with over 11% of its electrical needs. The plant also will help Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, with which Green Energy Hawaii has a 20-year power purchase agreement, reach its goal of 50% renewable energy generation by 2023.

The plant was designed and built by Standardkessel Baumgarte Holding GmbH (Duisburg, Germany) and local construction company Bodell Construction (Honolulu). Construction began in March of 2013 and has taken three years to complete.

The facility will process over 81,000 tons per year of biomass material consisting of fresh wood, eucalyptus and invasive albizia trees that were introduced to the island in the 1920's to provide shade. The trees grow up to an inch a day but are weak and brittle in a storm. U.S. Forest Service Officials say the trees are a menace, not just because they can grow more than 200 feet, but of how easily they spread.

The plant sits on four acres located about four miles north of the city of Koloa on Kahili Road, surrounded by over 3,700 acres of plantation lands and near some 1,000 acres of an albizia forest that will be harvested for plant fuel.

Hawaii expects to spend more than $5.8 billion in capital dollars in industrial projects. Projects are mainly in the commuter rail sector, power and renewable energy and the Food and Beverage Industry.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at https://www.industrialinfo.com/.