Billionaire David Murdock has plans to build over 200 wind turbines near Polihua Beach on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. The power generated by the windfarm would be sent by underwater cables to the island of Oahu, our most populated island. In this move, Murdock would recoup some of his losses from his struggling Lanai resorts as well as provide Oahu with a large amount of much needed renewable energy.
As with any change to the islands, residents and visitors are complaining about Castle & Cooke’s building of these windmills. It seems that with any change, for good or bad, people become restless and upset. But when you look at the project rationally and objectively, it benefits everyone affected.
- Lanai Residents – Jobs will be made and the island will prosper with additional revenues.
- Maui County – Maui and Hawaii’s goal of using 70 percent green energy by 2030 will come closer to completion.
- Honolulu, Oahu – Honolulu will become less dependent on foreign oil and coal for their power needs.
- David Murdock and the Castle & Cooke Company – The new profits will make up for their disastrous losses over the years.
- Hawaii Visitors – The resorts of Lanai will remain open and Lanai will continue to have ferry services.
With time, our islands need to change. It’s a sad thing that the Lanai is no longer accurately called the Pineapple Isle. But as the world becomes smaller and the economies of each nation become further intertwined, the only way to survive is to acclimate and grow with the changes. In light of all the bad decisions effecting Hawaii (overdevelopment, pollution, loss of Aloha), we believe that this is one of the better moves by a large corporation.
