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<br />2) REDISTRICTING REPORT – Joe reported there are meetings twice <br />monthly, on the second and fourth Thursdays with video conferencing. The <br />deadline for a report is December 1. The Commission is receiving training <br />from the County on how to proceed. Nine public hearings will be held. <br />District 9 includes North and South Kohala. Bob said the redistricting may <br />impact the County Council district. <br /> <br />NEW BUSINESS: <br />3) HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY INC. (HELCO) UPDATE report <br />from Pat Moore and Curtis Beck. Pat gave an overview of HELCO's study <br />on reliability of service to North Kohala. The existing single radial line to <br />North Kohala is approximately 24 miles long. The transmission capacity is <br />limited due to the voltage and the size of the conductors. If power goes out <br />at the Waimea plant, power will go out in North Kohala. Options include <br />upgrading the Waimea and Hawi substations, as well as forming a loop to <br />increase operational flexibility, voltage support and reliability. If one side of <br />a loop goes down, power can be supplied from the other side. Loop routes <br />include new lines between HELCO's Waika substation in Kohala Estates, <br />through Kahua Ranch, to Mahukona, resulting in an hourglass shaped <br />loop. Cost was estimated at 14-16 million in 2007 dollars. The process will <br />include environmental assessment, easements, community and PUC <br />approval. <br />HELCO and the windfarm in Kohala are conducting the grant funded Hawi <br />Renewable Development Battery Study of the effectiveness of a battery <br />energy storage system to provide manageable frequency regulation of the <br />electric grid, despite the fluctuations of wind. <br />HELCO’s challenges include: keep electricity costs economical, reduce <br />dependence on oil, maintain reliability, and manage community and <br />environmental impact. Factors affecting cost of service include: one utility <br />grid per island with no interconnections, large service territory with low <br />customer density (20 accounts per square mile compared to 80 on Maui <br />and 500 on Oahu), two way energy flow due to increasing amounts of <br />distributed generation (DG) by independent power producers (IPP's), <br />current reliance on fossil fuel power plants for system stability and <br />regulation, payments to IPP's based on the price of fossil fuel. The Big <br />Island power supply is generated 68% in East Hawai‘i, and 32% in West <br />Hawai‘i, with 50% of the load in West Hawaii. Hawaii Clean Energy <br />Initiative - 70% renewable energy by 2030 (40% electricity, 30% energy <br />efficiency). Renewable energy possibilities include geothermal from Puna <br /> <br />