NextEra’s Commitment to Hawaii

Community Contributed

Opinion by Eric Gleason, President of NextEra Energy Hawaii

Gov. David Ige’s recent comments raised important questions about our pending merger and Hawaii’s clean energy future, questions that we continue to work diligently and transparently to address. We want to make our position clear and reiterate our full and unequivocal support of the State of Hawaii’s goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. We believe our proposed partnership with Hawaiian Electric provides the best path forward to achieving what is, without question, an aggressive, yet very attainable, goal. Together, we can get there.

The renewable energy law signed by Gov. Ige is the most ambitious clean energy goal in the country – making Hawaii the first state in the nation to adopt a 100 percent renewable portfolio standard. NextEra Energy shares Hawaiian Electric’s commitment to Molokai and, importantly, brings to the table a powerful combination of renewable energy expertise, technological know-how, financial strength highlighted by deep access to capital necessary for investment and experience in modernizing our utility’s generation and distribution facilities. We are the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun – supplying enough solar and wind energy to power more than three million homes.  NextEra Energy is the right partner at the right time for Hawaiian Electric and, together, we can help Hawaii achieve its clean energy goals while also creating meaningful cost savings for Molokai customers. Our filed merger plan anticipates almost $1 billion in economic benefits for Hawai‘i in the first five years after closing.

But what this story is really about is the future. We see a future in which Hawai‘i continues to lead the nation in setting and achieving bold clean energy goals. And we see a future where lower electric bills mean families and businesses in Molokai have more opportunities to create the future they want for themselves and others. Simply put, NextEra Energy shares the hopes and vision for Hawaii’s energy future that the Governor so eloquently described.

As Gov. Ige and others have noted, we are in midst of what will be a very thorough process to consider the benefits of this proposed merger. We look forward to continuing to constructively engage with communities throughout the state, the Public Utilities Commission and the administration as we discuss our shared vision for a more affordable clean energy future for Hawaii.