Hawaiian Electric statement on Oahu generation planning and corrected report on power plant

News Release from Hawaiian Electric, 8/6/2026

HONOLULU, Aug. 6, 2026 – The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has corrected an Aug. 6 story that inaccurately described an action by Hawaiian Electric related to the procurement of new generation resources. Hawaiian Electric didn’t ask the Public Utilities Commission for approval to build a 500-megawatt power plant.

The story and headline have been rewritten and an online correction was published today by the Star-Advertiser. A correction will appear in the printed newspaper tomorrow.

The action that was the basis of the story was a PUC decision directing Hawaiian Electric to provide “relevant analyses that demonstrate Oahu’s need for additional firm capacity” to determine if up to 500 megawatts of new firm generation (available 24/7) is required to meet demand. The PUC said it would be “imprudent” to expand a procurement effort for 500 MW of firm generation on Oahu without knowing if it’s needed.

Hawaiian Electric welcomes this direction from the PUC and sees it as a productive step forward.

An outside entity, JERA, has said it will propose building a 500 MW power plant outside of the PUC’s longstanding competitive bidding process, a no-bid, sole source arrangement that is endorsed by the State Energy Office.

Hawaiian Electric advocates for all major energy infrastructure projects to follow the competitive bidding process established by regulators to ensure the best outcomes and most benefits to customers, including affordability, reliability and environmental impact.

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SA: PUC rejects HECO’s power plant proposal ‘without demonstration of need’ | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

KITV: Hawaiian Electric clarifies it did not request approval to build 500 MW power plant on Oahu | News | kitv.com