Environmental Impact & Compliance Plan

Waikoloa Solar will be completing its environmental studies through 2020 and expects to submit its discretionary permit application in Q3 2020.  The project will require a County Plan Review which is expected to take 60 days. A Critical Issues Analysis was completed in 2019 which did not identify any material development issues.

The Project is within the Agricultural State land use district, on lands classified by the Land Study Bureau’s Detailed Classification System as having Class E soil, the lowest rating for agricultural productivity. Per HRS §205-2(d)(6), solar projects are permitted on Class E soils with no size restrictions. The Project is zoned by the County as Agricultural (5-acre minimum) and is therefore subject to Hawai`i County zoning. Hawai`i County has determined that solar projects, including supporting project substations, require Plan Approval only if they are located on lands designated as Agricultural by both the State and County; therefore no land use permit is required. Per HCZC §25-2-70, Plan Approval provides for close County review of proposed development projects to ensure that projects are developed in conformance with the County’s general plan and zoning code. Under previous ownership, the Project parcel had been contemplated for residential development consisting of 398 rural lots and supporting infrastructure and utilities. An EIS was prepared to support the State Land Use Commission approval of that project, including the evaluation of biological and cultural resources, as well as traffic. The state approved the Project in 2008, however, the residential project was never pursued. Although the site has been well studied, additional supplemental studies will be initiated in 2020 in support of project design and to secure the County Plan approval.

Listing of Permits & Approvals

County Plan Approval

Issued By: Hawai`i County Department of Planning

Timeline: The consultation process with the County has been initiated. An application will be submitted upon completion of final design of the Project, which will be kicked off immediately upon Final Award in order to secure the Plan Approval by Q4 2020.

Notice of General Permit Coverage (NGPC) for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Issued By: State of Hawai`i Department of Health

Timeline: Coverage under the General Permit for construction-related stormwater discharges will be obtained prior to initiation of construction in Q4 2022.

Building and Grading Permits

Issued By: Hawai`i County Department of Public Works and Environmental Management

Timeline: Waikoloa Solar intends to file for the building and grading permits in Q4 2021 following selection of an EPC contractor, negotiation and execution of an EPC contract and completion of IFP designs under a Limited Notice to Proceed.

Biological Resources

Land within the Project and surrounding area consists of mixed rangeland with some strip mines, quarries, and gravel pits, and is dominated by invasive and weedy plant species. There is one drainage within the Project area that could be considered jurisdictional by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), although no wetlands were identified during desktop review. Based on studies completed to date, no threatened or endangered plant or wildlife species or critical habitat have been documented within the Project Study Area. However, there is potential for adverse impacts to native plant assemblages within or near the site such as kāwelu grass (Eragrostis variabilis), ‘akia (Wikstroemia pulcherrima), ‘Uhaloa (Waltheria indica), ‘Aheahea (Chenopodium oahuense), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis). A plant, wildlife and wetland survey will be conducted for the Waikoloa Project to confirm the lack of sensitive resources onsite, and if any do exist, to inform Project design so that sensitive resources may be avoided, as practicable.

A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) would be implemented and the NPDES permit would be adhered to during construction to ensure that there would be no releases to jurisdictional drainages.

Soils

The project is located on Land Study Bureau (LSB) rated E soils. The project is not located on any LSB rated A or B soils. The soils within the lands surrounding the site are also classified E and some rated D in further areas, based on the LSB Productivity Rating codes; these represent the lowest productivity for agricultural lands.

Topography and geology

The topography of the Project area slopes gently northwest. Elevations range from about 304 feet above mean sea level (MSL) in the northwest portion of the Project up to about 402 feet above MSL in the southwest portion. An updated geotechnical survey of the Project will be performed in 2020.

Air quality

There are no expected impacts short or long term to air quality from operation of the project. There are no emissions from operation of solar photovoltaic or battery storage technologies. Each year, the energy potentially generated by the project would eliminate the use of approximately 150,000 barrels of oil, which in turn would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by more than 65,000 tons. Other air pollutants for which emissions would be reduced include sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and mercury (Hg).