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Home / Renewable Energy / Integrated Resource Planning / Integrated Resource Planning Presentation Page
Renewable Energy

MECO - Integrated Resource Planning

 

Charting a Course for Maui Nui’s Preferred Energy Future


MECO's Integrated Resource Planning Report 2007 - 2026 is now available. 
Please click here to view the report.

Climate Change/Global Warming Technical Session of June 8, 2007. 
Please click here for agenda and speakers.

Emphasizing the stress that rapid growth is putting on the infrastructure of our islands, Oahu's electricity demand hit record highs in October 2004, reminding us of the need to conserve energy and plan for the future.  With increases in housing starts and business development on all the islands, electrical demand is likely to continue to grow.  How can we ensure that we here on Maui Nui have enough energy to meet our future needs?

How do we find the right mix, combining conventional generation with conservation and energy efficiency, renewables and distributed generation technologies like combined heat and power with central power plants to best fit our energy demand now and over the next 20 years? We use a process called Integrated Resource Planning (IRP). The State Public Utilities Commission (PUC) established IRP for utilities to forecast energy demand and analyze the array of solutions available to meet our needs.

In IRP, an advisory group representing business, government, energy regulators, consumers, environmentalists, and other stakeholders works closely with MECO management, engineers and planning staff. They consider population growth, culture, lifestyle, the economy, the environment, available energy technology and other factors as they look at different combinations of plans that will meet our energy needs short and long-term.

Together, we’ll consider the need for energy in the long-term and the optimal mix of resources now and into the future to meet your electricity needs safely, reliably – and at reasonable cost to you.

MECO is conducting its third cycle of IRP. It’s a two-year effort that will result in a 20-year plan and a five-year action plan that will be filed with the PUC in early 2007.

We encourage you to visit the following links to learn more about our IRP process.