County Agency Looking to Wind to Power Pumps

The county Department of Water Supply plans to rebuild the Lalamilo Wind Farm in South Kohala to provide electricity for its pumps in the area.

The agency wants to install five 121-foot Vestas wind turbines, each capable of producing 660 kilowatts.

The project has an estimated cost of $13 million.

The wind generators are expected to provide 3.3 megawatts or about 75% of the power required by the eight wells in the department’s Lalamilo-Parker water system.

According to a draft environmental assessment issued this week, at current electrical rates that would result in estimated savings of about $1 million annually.

The Lalamilo-Parker system, which has a capacity of five million gallons of water a day, serves customers in the Puako and Kawaihae area.

Hawaii Electric Light Co. developed the previous Lalamilo Wind Farm in 1985 with 120 generators with a total capacity of 2.7 megawatts. It was decommissioned in 2010.

The project would be developed under a Department of Water Supply contract by Lalamilo Wind Company LLC.