BUSINESS BRIEFS
Wind farm exceeds output target
Advertiser Staff
The Kaheawa wind farm on Maui exceeded its output target last year, generating more than 125,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, the wind farm's operator reported.
The wind farm, operated by UPC Wind, supplies electricity to more than 11,000 Maui homes and reduces the island's oil dependence by 236,000 barrels a year.
"As Maui's first utility-scale wind project, Kaheawa Wind Power demonstrates that clean, renewable energy production is a feasible, viable commercial opportunity for Hawai'i," said Paul Gaynor, president and chief executive officer of UPC Wind.
UPC Wind is pursuing at least one other wind farm project in Maui County, a facility that would be built on Moloka'i. In November, UPC Wind pledged to contribute to a community group's efforts to buy out Moloka'i's largest landowner.
UPC Wind, based in Newton, Mass., has operations in Hawai'i, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and Maine.
GAS IN ISLES UP 20% FROM YEAR AGO
The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Hawai'i costs about one-fifth more than it did a year ago, according to data from the American Automobile Association.
The AAA's Fuel Gauge Report Web site shows Hawai'i's statewide average rose to $3.481 from $2.909 a year earlier, a gain of about 20 percent.
The national average increased at a faster pace during the year, rising to $3.033 from $2.209. That was 37 percent higher than a year earlier.
The site showed Honolulu's average price rose also. The average price for a gallon rose to $3.361 from $2.823 a year ago.
STRONG AUSSIE DOLLAR GOOD FOR ISLES
John Borghetti, executive general manager of Qantas airlines, said the strength of the Australian dollar against the U.S. currency makes Hawai'i "a very attractive destination for Australians."
Qantas recently announced that it will increase the number of flights from Sydney to Honolulu from three to four per week beginning April 5.
The Australian dollar has strengthened by about 11 percent against the U.S. dollar over the past year. A stronger Australian dollar increases the purchasing power of Australian tourists when they convert their currency into U.S. dollars.
CUNDIFF TO LEAD EMPLOYERS COUNCIL
Robert Cundiff, general manager of Weyerhaeuser Co., was reappointed chairman of the Hawaii Employers Council Board of Governors for 2008.
Also appointed to the council's executive committee were Pamela Burns, president and CEO of the Hawaiian Humane Society; Patrick Ching, executive vice president of Servco Pacific Inc.; Robert Dove, president and CEO of Hawaii Employers' Mutual Insurance Co. Inc.; Glenn Hong, president and CEO of Hawaiian Tug & Barge/Young Brothers Ltd.; and Kyoko Kimura, president and general manager of Diamond Hawaii Resort & Spa.
The Hawaii Employers Council provides professional services to management in human resources and labor relations, employment law, research and supervisory and management training. Founded in 1943, the Hawaii Employers Council is celebrating its 65th year of service to Hawai'i's business community. It is a nonprofit member organization serving over 850 employers statewide.
