Voice of Stephanie Salazar

Members of the Windward Planning Commission voted to delay a decision on the Hu Honua bioenergy project in Pepeekeo on Thursday.

SMA Permit No. 221, which originally allowed the establishment of a coal burning energy plant at this facility on Sugar Mill Road, will be amended to allow a change in fuel source from coal to biomass when Hu Honua resurrects the old Peepekeo Power Plant.

The vote was originally scheduled for May 2010, but concerned residents living near the plant were granted a contested case, delaying the decision. Last month, the hearing officer decided to recommend that the planning commission approve Hu Honua’s application.

The commission will consider the application again when it meets in the first week of May.