Coal news and updates

Hawaii receives its final shipment of coal amid push to move to renewable sources

Oahu got its final shipment from Indonesia on Wednesday, in what experts say is a big milestone for the state’s efforts to move toward renewable energy.

It’s also the end of an era for Hawaii’s only power plant fueled by coal, AES Corp. in Campbell Industrial Park.

“Yesterday was the last shipment of coal that arrived on island. That’s about 15,000 tons of coal,” said Sandra Larsen, AES Corp. Hawaii market business leader.

“And we’re working very closely with Hawaiian Electric to make sure that we dispatch or burn that coal as efficiently as possible. So that it will go to the end of our agreement term.”

Back in the early 1990s, the company invested more than $380 million to build the power plant, which generates electricity for tens of thousands of homes on Oahu.

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