Honolulu Power Plant (Honolulu, Hawaii)

 factory, electric power industry / power supply

 Upload a photo

The plant’s history dates back to 1920 when the site at Halekauwila and Alakea Streets was first constructed as the Alakea Plant, providing an initial 95 megawatts to the Oahu electric grid. Its location was particularly meaningful, as it sits at the harbor where whaling vessels once off-loaded the oil that was used to power the city’s lamps.

By 1957, the Honolulu Station expanded along Ala Moana Boulevard at Richards Street to provide 115 MW of generating capacity. The building housing two of its largest oil fired generating units was officially named after Leslie A. Hicks, who was Hawaiian Electric’s president at the time. The plant played a key role in meeting Oahu’s energy needs during the time Hawaii was admitted to statehood in 1959 and during an unprecedented building boom that propelled the islands into an era of phenomenal growth.

In 2014 Hawaiian Electric announced plans to deactivate the plant. However, the utility can restore deactivated units to operation, if necessary, to avoid a power shortage to customers and with appropriate preparation. Successful efforts directed towards energy conservation and the development of renewable energy sources have enabled Hawaiian Electric to shut down the antiquated and expensive oil burning downtown facility.