MECO advises response to Maui County input to our Planning Committee

As reported here on 4/10/14 SEE https://www.gokihei.org/environment/county-administrations-position-of-mecos-proposed-kihei-transmission-line Maui County energy guys reported to this committee their position on MECO’s proposed actions in South Maui. This morning (5/8/14), MECO, represented by“project lead ” Engineer Troy Connatser and “Director of Government and Community Relations,” Mahina Martin .came to the committee to offer their perspective.

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Your Association has consistently opposed the placement of the 70′ power polls along the makai side of the Pi’ilani Hwy, since MECO’s initial public meeting on the topic years ago and we stand by that. IF the transmission line needs to be run, it should be underground, not above, impeding out priceless view-plain.

At the meeting, the pleasant duo offer a short slide presentation to explain MECO’s existing 69V transmission line originating at the petroleum fueled Maalaea power substation which provides electricity to South Maui. They continued to explain how an emergency outage in that line is presently handled.

Looking at the proposed expansion of the transmission line, they explained some four alternatives, which had been offered at the last public meeting on 9/13/14 – see https://www.gokihei.org/environment/what-meco-did-not-reveal-at-public-meeting , and the “pros and cons” of each of them. They then offered the present four transmission line routes.

It is our understanding that MECO is presently meeting with County officials for discussions of the future of electrical power through out the island , which includes the closure of the Kahului Power plant sometimes this decade. Then later this year, MECO will be back to the general public with a series of meetings in various regions of our island.