June 10 (Reuters) - Utility and power generation company

AES Corporation ( AES ) has started operations at Hawaii's

largest solar facility on Maui, electricity provider Hawaiian

Electric said in a statement on Monday.

The Kuihelani Solar-plus-Storage is located on 450 acres in

central Maui, and is producing 60 MW of renewable energy

supported by a 240 MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system

to supply 15% of Maui's energy needs, the statement said.

AES Hawaii has a 25-year power purchase agreement with

Hawaiian Electric starting from May 31, 2024, aiming to supply

renewable energy to Maui's power network at a rate of 8 cents

per kilowatt-hour.

The project also offsets the need to import two million

barrels of oil to Maui for electricity generation, the statement

added.

Hawaiian electric said in April it was prepared to initiate

rolling blackouts due to decreased wind and solar power and the

temporary loss of several large generators.