Green Advocacy Group Works With Corporation To Increase Energy Prices

A green energy group partnered with a Hawaiian electric company on a proposal to increase energy rates despite previous criticisms of the same idea.

The Ulupono Initiative and Hawaiian Electric Co.’s (HECO) joint filing asked the utility commission for a 5% rate increase in O’ahu over two years, 5.8% in Hawai’i Island and 6.4% for Maui County, which could lead to at least an $11 increase to a household’s monthly bill, according to reporting by Honolulu Civil Beat. HECO provides electricity for 95% of all residents on the Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii islands of Hawaii, according to their website.

The new fee will finance infrastructure that can withstand wildfires and is designed to cover increased business costs associated with the measures, the Civil Beat reported.

The Ulupono Initiative criticized the proposal in 2025, saying “this decision returns Hawaiian Electric customers to an outdated, costly, time-consuming, and potentially counterproductive process.”

Ulupono Initiative Director of Energy Michael Colón said HECO’s original proposal was not in line with the performance-based rate-making law, according to Civil Beat. Colón added that, after multiple meetings between Ulupono and other stakeholders, HECO modified the proposal to a performance-based rate-making approach in line with what Ulupono fought for.

Colón said Ulupono understands rate increases will cause more stress on residents and businesses, but if HECO did not compromise on the proposal, the implemented rates would have been much higher, according to Civil Beat.