Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative
Cooperative
Industry Electric Utility
Founded 1905
Headquarters Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, United States
Key people
 Jan TenBruggencate, Chairman
David Bissell, CEO
Products Electricity
Revenue $184,714,288 (2013)
Number of employees
 159
Website www.kiuc.coop

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is an electric cooperative located on the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi. With 31,000 customers, it is the only electric cooperative in the state of Hawaii[1]

In the 1970s, Kauaʻi burned sugar cane waste to supply most of their electricity. Today, the majority of the Kauaʻi's energy is produced by importing liquid petroleum.[2] As of 2014, KIUC's fuel mix was 78% fossil fuels, 8% hydroelectric and 14% solar. KIUC offers $1,000 rebates to residential customers who have solar water heating systems installed on their homes by Energy Wise Participating Contractors.

History

Kauaʻi Electric was incorporated in 1905 as a subsidiary of McBryde Sugar in order to construct a 2.4 MW hydroelectric plant on the Wainiha River. Kauaʻi Electric merged with Lihue Plantation's Waiahi Electric Company early in the 1950s. Kauaʻi Electric became a division of Citizens Utilities Company in 1969. In the late 1990s, Citizens Utilities announced its intentions to divest from the electric utility business and a group of business leaders from Kauaʻi joined to found the Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative in 1999. KIUC purchased Kauaʻi Electric Company on 1 November 2002 for $215 million.[3]

In December 2009, KIUC participated in hearings regarding its plan to minimize the effects its operations have on three endangered Hawaiian birds, the ʻuaʻu, the ʻaʻo, and the band-rumped storm-petrel.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative website.
  2. ↑ Flynn, Meghan. Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. Energy Today Magazine.
  3. ↑ Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Agrees to Acquire Kauai Electric from Citizens Communications for $215 Million. Business Wire. 6 March 2002.
  4. ↑ State Plans Hearing On Kauai Utility Seabird Plan. KITV. 6 December 2009.

External links


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