Champlin's $90M Oahu wind farm starting construction by summer 2015

Duane Shimogawa

Reporter- Pacific Business News

Construction on a California wind energy development company’s $90 million, 25-megawatt wind farm on public and private lands on Oahu’s North Shore is expected to start in the third quarter of 2015 and be operational by the end of 2015 or in early 2016.

Champlin Hawaii Holdings LLC recently provided an update of its Na Pua Makani wind project, which has already signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric Co., and is awaiting the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s approval on that contract, in an environmental impact statement preparation notice.

The changes include the addition of more land for the project, which will be located near First Wind’s 30-megawatt Kahuku Wind farm, as well as modifications to the design of it with the intent of reducing impacts to agriculture.

Additionally, the developer added an access road to the project.

Champlin President Michael Cutbirth previously told PBN that once the wind farm is up and running, it could cut Hawaiian Electric Co.’s per-kilowatt hour cost of electricity by half when compared to current rates.

It is expected to create 50 construction jobs as well as about a dozen permanent positions.

Champlin and its affiliates currently have more than 4,500 megawatts of wind energy projects under development. The Kahuku project would be the company’s first project in Hawaii.

Duane Shimogawa covers energy, real estate and economic development for Pacific Business News.

Champlin"s $90M Oahu wind farm starting construction by summer 2015