HECO Wants to Keep Renewable Energy Contracts Secret

In a move toward making the costs of transitioning to clean energy more transparent to ratepayers, the state Public Utilities Commission has directed Hawaiian Electric Co. to publicly disclose pricing information negotiated for renewable-energy contracts. In the past, utility officials have disclosed pricing for some contracts, but not others. The change has affected recent applications that HECO officials have filed with the commission, and highlights potential conflicts between pricing transparency and protecting the utility’s ability to privately negotiate optimal rates for customers.