Hawaii Electric Faces Antitrust Suit for $1 Billion in Damages

A Hawaii-based power supplier is accusing Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. of unlawfully terminating its power-purchase agreement, leading to millions of dollars in lost profits.

The complaint, filed this week in the US District Court for the District of Hawaii, seeks more than $1 billion in damages allegedly caused by the cancellation of the agreement between Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC and the state electricity supplier in 2016, leading to a delayed transition to renewable energy as mandated by state law.

Hu Honua, which focuses on energy from biomass, says the cancellation violated US antitrust laws by unlawfully expanding monopoly power over ...