The same California engineer who came up with what the Energy Coordinator for Maui County described as “the single worst idea we have seen in a long time” has now come up with another hydro scheme under yet another business name.
Bart O’Keeffe is now proposing a pumped storage generation plant using reclaimed Lahaina Wastewater. The treated effluent would be pumped 4 miles up Honokawai Gulch and stored in a reservoir where it could be used for generation at peak hours.
According to former Western Area Power Administration engineer, Karen Chun, small pumped hydro is a proven way to firm up wind and solar generation. But, she said, “I’m not sure the Honokawai taro farmers are going to be too happy about this. Did anyone consult with them before proposing this scheme?”
Sources put O’Keeffe’s proposed plant capacity near 30MW.
On May 20, United Powers’ West Maui Pumped Storage Water Supply LLC filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a preliminary permit. This permit would allow O’Keeffe to have priority for building the plant for 3 years.
O’Keeffe has apparently abandoned his plan to dam Maliko Gulch after meeting with Maui County officials.
According to O’Keeffe, Lahaina has up to 5 million gallons a day in dry weather which is sufficient for his project.
Piping the water to the proposed reservoir would take tens of millions of dollars according to estimates. The project would require a high reservoir at about 1600 feet elevation and a lower reservoir mauka of the treatment plant.
O’Keeffe’s new company, West Maui Pumped Storage Water Supply would only put up a small portion of the project’s cost. O’Keefe expects the County, HECO and investors to pay for the bulk of the project. Preliminary studies will cost about $1million.The May 20 application opened a 60-day window to comment on, file motions to intervene or file competing applications with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
You can read the application here.
Paper comments, in seven copies, can be sent to Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. NE, Washington, D.C., 20426.
The application is available at www.ferc.gov, under docket number P-14143.
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Mach 2 says
June 22, 2011 at 4:00 pmNote: O’Keeffe didn’t say that this project could produce 1,250 MW. He said it could produce 30 MW. His project in Oregon could produce 1,250 MW, “enough to…” The article on the other website got it more accurately.
Maui Tomorrow says
June 22, 2011 at 4:05 pmThanks for the correction, Mach 2. The Maui News article from which we got this number appears to have gotten it wrong…we’ll correct our post.
Karen Chun says
June 22, 2011 at 12:16 pmHaving worked on the California Central Valley Project with it’s 20 dams and reservoirs including pumped storage facilities, I am a tremendous fan of pumped storage for firming power.
But Maui is a small island and any pumped storage project needs to be planned in a manner sensitive to the cultural and natural sites.
It appears that the company proposing the Honokawai and Maliko dams, is insensitive to these issues and is kapu’ing sites willynilly in an attempt to lock them up at little cost other than some filing fees with FERC.
The two proposals are so poorly planned and thought out, that they have little chance of happening so one wonders what the real goal is.
The goal may possibly be simply to kapu the sites in anticipation that some better-informed company may come up with a viable plan. Then this California entity can charge an arm and a leg to transfer the exclusive permits to develop they’ve obtained from FERC.