Dive Brief:
Hawaiian Electric (HECO) is defending its role in ongoing and potential delays to planned renewables projects that are key to Hawaii's longer-term clean energy goals, following the state Public Utilities Commission's decision last month to take a closer look at the company's interconnection processes and plans to retire and replace fossil fuel plants.
Last year, concerns were raised during status conferences hosted by the commission that HECO's interconnection processes are causing unnecessary delays and increasing costs to renewables projects currently under development. But in a filing on Friday, HECO said that these are not solely attributable to the company, and depend also on developers and their consultants.