������Ƶ

Liquefied natural gas must be considered as Hawaii works to meet its clean energy goal of being completely renewable by 2045, Gov. Josh Green said this week at the Hawaii Energy Conference.

The state had been open to LNG under the Abercrombie administration, and Hawaiian Electric Co. was even pursuing its development, but the Ige administration flatly opposed it so the utility scrapped its plans.

Speaking Wednesday at the conference on Maui, Green said LNG must be part of the mix as the state considers ways to lower energy costs, build energy resilience and lower its carbon footprint. He has asked his chief energy officer to conduct a full-scale analysis of every possible energy source, except nuclear, that can accelerate Hawaii’s transition away from fossil fuel dependence.

“Can I be blunt? One of those ways is liquefied natural gas and that gives a lot of people hives. I get it. I do. But if the goal is to use less carbon and get there sooner so that we are actually renewable, we have to have everything on the table,” Green said.

If Hawaii fails to meet its renewable energy mandate, the state will continue to burn fossil fuels at “an alarming rate,” Green said, adding that consumers will continue to pay some of the highest energy costs in the nation and more local families will move to the mainland.

“There has to be some form of bridge between now and 2045,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury in the moment to take any options off the table.”

Green acknowledged that importing LNG would constitute an about-face in state policy. In 2015, then-Gov. David Ige came out strongly against LNG, saying it would only prolong Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels and cause strife among residents over siting LNG terminals.

But Hawaii has gone back and forth on whether to invest in LNG. Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie in 2012 directed HECO to look into pursuing natural gas as a fuel source for its generators.

In his letter to HECO at the time, Abercrombie said Hawaii is committed to a clean energy future anchored by energy efficiency and local renewable sources like wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal. But it would be prudent to consider LNG because it could be a cheaper and cleaner fuel than petroleum oil that could reduce consumer energy bills, he said.

Abercrombie’s stance was a pivot from that of former Gov. Linda Lingle. During her administration, the state and utilities signed the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative that laid out the state’s plan for switching to renewable sources without using LNG. 

On Wednesday, Green seemed to echo some of Abercrombie’s thinking. He said he loves solar and wind power but is worried Hawaii “may languish for a long time” as it tries to build it out in the islands where it’s more expensive than on the mainland.

The governor’s remarks caught some conference participants off guard.

“It took me by surprise. No judgment,” said Ben Sullivan, deputy director of . “It was provocative.”

Although the thought of importing a fossil fuel gives him pause, Sullivan said he understands why the governor is considering all options given the high cost of living.

Jennifer Potter, a former member of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, was also somewhat taken aback by Green’s LNG comments. Importing natural gas is no short-term strategy and it’s wrong to think of it as a “bridge fuel,” she said.

“Moving to LNG would require a great deal of investment in infrastructure including terminals at the port. We have all agreed that 100% renewables is the goal for the state,” Potter said. “It begs the question of whether making an investment that would last decades is consistent with the public vision and stated goals.”

HECO wasn’t surprised by Green’s LNG position and is neutral about the possibility, according to a spokesman.

“We appreciate the governor’s comments about finding the right path to 2045 that balances reliability, decarbonization and cost,” said spokesman Jim Kelly.

The utility supports the state energy office’s work to build a comprehensive inventory of sources, including LNG, that could be part of the state’s energy portfolio.

But Kelly said it’s important to remember the history of LNG over the past decades in Hawaii.

“In one administration pursuing LNG was a state policy imperative and in the next administration it was banned. We’re aligned on our decarbonization and clean energy goals and we have to be aligned on what path we’ll be taking to reach 2045,” he said.

Colin Yost, one of the three current PUC members, said he thinks parts of Hawaii, perhaps not Oahu, could come close to reaching the state’s clean energy goal within six years, with renewables accounting for 60% of energy production by 2030.

“I know for Maui, for the Big Island … that should be eminently achievable,” Yost said, noting that he was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the PUC. “On Kauai, you have already seen it demonstrated that they got there.”

The member-owned used to be an investor-owned utility that charged ratepayers the highest costs for electricity in the state. But after island residents organized, raised cash and turned the utility into a cooperative in 2002, what eventually followed was a transition to renewable energy that combined solar, hydro and biomass.

The co-op now makes nearly 60% of its energy from renewables, and Kauai residents pay the lowest electricity rates in the state, according to Beth Amaro, KIUC communications manager, who also spoke at the conference.

KIUC considered LNG at one point “but it didn’t make sense,” said Jan TenBruggencate, vice-chairman of the co-op’s board.

“The infrastructure requirement for LNG was going to be a big financial hit. We opted to continue our progress toward fully renewable generation,” he said.

Green said there’s plenty of money available in the private sector and in Washington to assist Hawaii if it takes aggressive steps to move toward renewables.

During a trip to Los Angeles earlier this month to attend the , Green said he spoke with multibillionaires who are looking to make investments “in the climate space” where bold initiatives are being undertaken to move away from fossil fuels.

“There’s an appetite for that,” he said. “I think you’ll be surprised how much money will come into the state to do it if we’re bold.”

He also said the Department of Energy is interested in making good on President Joe Biden’s pledge to help Hawaii following the Lahaina tragedy.

Hawaii Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick said he’s hopeful that the state will receive a $250 million award from the Department of Energy for the installation of temperature sensors, high-tech weather stations and other strategies to harden the grid and increase Hawaii’s resilience to climate change impacts.  

Civil Beat’s coverage of environmental issues on Maui is supported by grants from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Fund, the Knight Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.