KIUC Members Attend 21st Annual Meeting

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Lihue, HI – 7/21/2023 - Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) held their first Annual Meeting in-person since the pandemic last night, with roughly 100 members in attendance at the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center.

KIUC Board Chair Allan Smith greeted the crowd and noted this is the 21^st Annual Meeting of the cooperative and is timely in celebrating KIUC’s 20^th anniversary.

KIUC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, David Bissell, provided an informational presentation that spotlighted three key accomplishments reached in 2022:

1. Renewable progress: For the fourth straight year, KIUC led the state in renewable generation at 60.2% by using both utility-scale and rooftop solar, hydro and biomass. In June of this year, KIUC added biodiesel, provided by Pacific Biodiesel, to its portfolio. The West Kauaʻi Energy Project, a proposed pumped storage hydro facility that will also utilize solar + battery technology, is still in development and is expected to bring KIUC to more than 80% renewable.
2. Reliability: KIUC’s also led the state in 2022 with the best reliability statistics.
3. Rates: Since May of 2022, KIUC’s residential rates have been the lowest in the State of Hawaiʻi. For the past 15 months they have remained the lowest in the state, between 10% and 30% lower than any other island. This is largely because of KIUC’s renewable projects, which are purchased via fixed-prices on long-term purchase power agreements.

Other topics covered during the presentation were KIUC’s ongoing rate case request with the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission, a status report on the draft Habitat Conservation plan, continuing efforts to secure federal grant funding for various projects and new rebates for members.

The Board of Directors also presented the 2023 update to the Strategic Plan, with goals centered on the cost of electricity, carbon footprint, resilience and reliability.

A copy of the full PowerPoint presentation can be found here.

The 2022 Annual Report and Strategic Plan Update can be read online.