Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, September 13, 2013
State says LNG is Hawaii’s next energy source
By Michael Hansen @ 5:50 PM :: 6289 Views :: Energy, Jones Act

State says LNG is Hawaii’s next energy source

by Michael Hansen, Hawaii Shippers’ Council

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie and his Director of the Hawaii State Department of Business Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Richard Lim spoke this week to the Annual Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.

Gov. Abercrombie and Director Lim both said the State’s energy plan eventually calls for a submarine  power cable, which would link Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Islands to transmit electricity from renewable energy sources.  Installation of the submarine cable could be as far as 30 years in the future.   In the meantime, they said the state would need to rely upon liquefied natural gas (LNG) brought in from the U.S. mainland as a transitional fuel to mitigate the high costs associated with generating electricity from liquid petroleum fuels (manufactured from crude oil).

It would appear that LNG could very easily become the default fuel for Hawaii for the foreseeable future.  There will be challenging problems associated with installing an interisland submarine power cable system, including:  the enormous cost of an interisland submarine power cable system; the lack of existing excess wind energy capacity in Maui County; the technical difficulties of crossing the very deep and wide Alenuihaha Channel between Hawaii and Maui Islands; problems of developing excess geothermal energy on Hawaii Island; and, the political opposition to the submarine cable system.

Two recent articles reporting on Gov Abercrombie and Director Lim’s presentations to the Clean Energy Summit emphasizing the importance of LNG in the State’s energy plan were published in the Pacific Business News on September 11, 2013, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on September 13, 2013.

To make US-sourced LNG Hawaii’s next primary energy source for decades to come, an exemption from the U.S. build requirement of the Jones Act would be required.  The type of ships designed to carry LNG are not built in the U.S., but are constructed routinely in Japan and South Korea and readily available at an economic cost from shipyards in those countries.

An exemption from the U.S. build requirement of the Jones Act for the noncontiguous trades – Alaska, Guam, Hawaii and Puerto Rico – would facilitate the transition of Hawaii from liquid petroleum fuels to LNG for electrical power production. Such an exemption would allow Gov Abercrombie to meet his future energy goals and benefit Hawaii residents with substantially lower energy costs. 

The Hawaii Shippers’ Council has proposed an exemption from the U.S. build requirement of the Jones Act which in the form of a resolution garnered bipartisan support in the last session of the Hawaii State Legislature and was endorsed by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on March 28, 2013.  We look forward to support from the Abercrombie Administration for our proposal in the next State Legislative session in 2014.

---30---

PBN: Hawaii counting on LNG, undersea cable and geothermal to meet renewable energy goal

SA: Governor puts his bets down on interisland cable 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT