HELCO Holding Public Meetings on Planning Process

Hawaii Electric Light Co. is holding a series of public meetings on the Big Island to give the public an opportunity to comment on the “Integrated Resource Planning” process.

The process has been established by the state Public Utilities Commission for the state’s utilities to plan for future energy needs over a 20-year period.

The meetings will be held Tuesday at the Imiloa Astronomy Center at 600 Imiloa Place in Hilo, Wednesday at the Waikoloa Elementary School at 68-1730 Hooko St. in Waikoloa and Thursday at the Pahala Community Center at 96-1149 Kamani St. in Pahala.

All of the meetings are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m.

The process runs in three-year cycles to take into account changing conditions.

HELCO’s goal is to file a report on the effort by June 28, 2013.

The latest round of IRP planning was initiated by the PUC in March under Docket No. 2012-0036. The commission named Carl Freedman of the Maui-based firm Haiku Design & Analysis to serve as the PUC’s “independent entity” to oversee the process.

The PUC has also established a 68-member IRP Advisory Group to provide public input to HELCO and other Hawaiian Electric Co. subsidiaries during the planning process. Fifteen members of the advisory group are from the Big Island.

Information on various planning scenarios for Hawaii’s energy future is available at www.irpie.com.