Hawaiʻi Enters Agreement with Top Japanese Buyer of Liquefied Natural Gas
Josh Green has entered Hawaiʻi into an agreement with JERA, Japan’s largest energy company, to move ahead with a plan to import liquefied natural gas to power Oʻahu’s grid.
A statement from Green’s office said the agreement
“establishes a framework for collaboration among JERA Co., Inc., JERA Americas Inc. and the state of Hawaiʻi”to advance clean energy initiatives recommended in the Alternative Fuels, Repowering and Energy Transition study.
The study, prepared by the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office and released in January, suggested that Oʻahu could reduce its dependence on oil by swapping it out with liquefied natural gas. However, both sources of energy are fossil fuels.
Notably, Hawaiʻi is required by state law to stop using fossil fuels for power generation by 2045, and over $2 billion would need to be invested into Oʻahu’s energy infrastructure to power the grid with natural gas, according to the study.
Author’s summary: Hawaiʻi signs agreement with JERA to import liquefied natural gas.