First Wind Inaugurates Construction of Kahuku Wind Project

First Wind has inaugurated the construction of its Kahuku wind project with 30 MW capacity. This is one of the largest wind energy projects on the utility scale to be launched in Hawaii with North Shore of Oahu as the project site.

The wind energy company’s project provides both economic as well as environmental benefits. Once completed, this project will be able to generate the required amount of clean energy for powering around 7,700 Oahu homes annually.

Linda Lingle, Hawaii Governor, headed the celebrations while First Wind officials and local community leaders held a conventional groundbreaking ceremony. Governor Lingle said that the Kahuku Wind Project signals a closer step towards reducing Hawaii’s dependence upon foreign oil and in increasing energy security while adding that these wind turbines would act as an additional clean energy source to the power grid of Oahu.

The project will comprise 12 units of Clipper Liberty wind turbines with 2.5 MW capacity each. This wind project is likely to create around 200 jobs in the areas of engineering, design and construction. The Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy has indicated that the Kahuku Wind project will help decrease oil usage by around 139,500 barrels each year and decrease CO2 emissions by around 96 million lbs. annually.