The Public Utilities Commission granted Maui County and Life of the Land intervenor status in the review of Hawaiian Electric Co.’s proposal to charge customers for a $4 million study on “Big Wind.”

According to the Maui News article by Harry Eager:

Henry Curtis of Life of the Land said customers should not be forced to finance the studies, because past rulings by the PUC clearly ordered HECO to evaluate alternatives to the massive wind-power project. The commission’s decision and order, which was signed Wednesday, said HECO’s review of the project should have also evaluated alternatives such as expanding residential or large-scale photovoltaic systems, biomass, biofuel and concentrated solar energy.

But although they granted the interventions, the commission also cautioned Life of the Land and the county that their involvement would be limited to the issues currently on the table.

“The commission will preclude any effort by them to unreasonably broaden the issues,” the decision stated.

It then inserted a curious and unusual note that the commissioners said they expect the intervenors “will comply with the commission’s rules and orders.”

County Energy Coordinator Doug McLeod said the language was “interesting,” but he believes there will be some latitude “in what we can legitimately discuss.”

The county’s principal concern from the start, he said, has been “the lack of community benefits from Big Wind.”

The term refers to plans to develop massive wind farms on Molokai and Lanai, which would send power to Oahu via an undersea cable.

Castle and Cooke (Lana’i) and Moloka’i Ranch are both running into community opposition. McLeod said that solar has become much more competitive with wind. The Maui News article continues:

Curtis, in a telephone interview from Oahu, said the PUC order first told the intervenors to discuss the points at issue with HECO and decide what they are, then the order appeared to say, “don’t bring them up.”

Like McLeod, and despite the caution, Curtis said he thinks the docket will allow exploration of alternatives to the Big Wind concept.

HECO claims the PUC hearing is only about who pays for the study (with HECO asking that ratepayers pick up the tab) and that contruction on the wind farms and cable won’t start for another two years.