Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State Energy Office urges more PUC visibility, faster rolling procurements and stronger life‑cycle GHG screening
Summary
The Hawaii State Energy Office recommended the PUC and other agencies gain visibility earlier in the selection process, a faster rolling procurement cadence (six months), study reverse auctions and adopt life‑cycle carbon‑intensity screening (not relying solely on EPA verification) for combustion projects.
At the Public Utilities Commission technical conference the Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO) urged the commission to consider reforms to the IGP RFP that would increase agency visibility during project selection, accelerate procurement cadence and strengthen greenhouse‑gas evaluation.
HSEO Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick said the current competitive‑bidding framework gives the PUC limited oversight until contract negotiations are completed and projects have been bundled for PPA execution, at which point replacing terminated projects can delay resource integration. He recommended allowing at least limited review by the PUC and Consumer Advocate after the eligibility and threshold stage so agencies can flag potentially disqualifying criteria earlier in the process.
On cadence, HSEO proposed a true rolling procurement and suggested a six‑month cadence for near‑term tranches rather than the current 14‑month cycle. The office said a faster cadence could move ready projects forward more quickly and reduce delays caused by multi‑project batch selection.
On greenhouse‑gas evaluation, HSEO recommended adding a life‑cycle carbon‑intensity (CI) threshold for combustion projects and performing in‑state verification of CI rather than relying solely on federal EPA certifications. Monique Shaffer (HSEO) said GREET could serve as a harmonization tool but warned default GREET emission factors may need local adjustment; she recommended a high‑level CI screen at submission with a more detailed life‑cycle analysis in the PPA stage for shortlisted projects. HSEO also suggested weighting GHG scoring more heavily (equal to community benefits) if no CI threshold is set.
HSEO suggested exploring reverse auctions where appropriate and noted consistency with Consumer Advocate comments and prior PUC decisions. The office said any expanded intervenor role should be tightly limited to parties with strong justification.
Mark Glick and HSEO staff said they will file written comments in the docket after the hearing. The office emphasized the suggestions are intended to balance speed and transparency so that project readiness is not delayed while preserving oversight and life‑cycle environmental protections.
Next steps: HSEO will submit comments to the docket; the PUC will consider those comments alongside Hawaiian Electric filings and IR responses.
