Sustainability
Renewable Fuels
A Message from Par Hawaii’s President
Renewable Fuels, Made In Our Islands
For over 50 years, Par Hawaii’s refinery has produced fuel for Hawaii’s airlines, utilities and the driving public. Today marks a new beginning for Par Hawaii and for our state.
One year from now this facility will produce up to 60 million gallons per year of renewable fuels. We can accomplish this here in Hawaii because of one especially important asset: the creativity and innovation of our highly trained workforce at Par Hawaii. We employ approximately 300 people here in Kapolei, including a team of very talented engineers who designed and are delivering this project.
Local production of renewable fuels makes Hawaii’s energy system more diverse and resilient. The same is true for our workforce – this project supports high value manufacturing jobs that are increasingly rare in our state and in our nation.
Par Hawaii will produce “drop-in” renewable fuels, meaning they are essentially indistinguishable from conventional fossil fuels and can be utilized with existing fuel systems and infrastructure.
- Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for airlines
- Renewable diesel which can be used for power generation, as well as for marine and ground transport
- Renewable naphtha, a gasoline component that is also used in Hawaii for power generation and to produce synthetic natural gas
Greenhouse gas emissions from these fuels are 40-80% less than conventional fuels. They are also energy dense, holding more than 20x the energy of a lithium-ion battery.
This fuel will be produced from fats, oils and greases, including plant-based oils and waste oils. We have also partnered with Pono Pacific to work with farmers to grow oil crops here in Hawaii, potentially creating a significant economic engine for local agriculture.
Mahalo for celebrating this milestone with us. Par Hawaii’s business is to provide the fuels that Hawaii needs. We intend to meet the evolving needs of our community for decades to come!
Overview
Par Hawaii’s refinery produces fuel for Hawaiian Electric, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, independent power producers as well as Hawaii Gas. We are also the leading provider of transportation fuels in Hawaii. Our customers include airlines, the U.S. military, marine and trucking users, and motorists.
Earlier this year, Par Hawaii announced a separate $90 million investment to upgrade an existing refinery unit – the distillate hydrotreater – to process biofuel feedstocks (fats, oils and greases) and plant-based feedstocks to produce renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable naphtha and renewable liquid petroleum gases (LPG). The reconfiguration of our hydrotreater is targeted for completion in 2025 and would produce approximately 4,000 barrels per day of renewable fuels, including approximately 1,000 barrels of renewable naphtha per day.
We’re leveraging our decades of refining expertise to now generate electricity from renewable sources. This will help our state meet the requirement to generate all electricity from renewable sources by 2045.
Project Benefits
The Renewable Cogeneration Facility will generate firm renewable electricity, an important component of serving electric consumers in Hawaii. Firm renewable sources offer more reliability than intermittent sources such as solar power, which is dependent upon available sunshine. This project will also help Hawaiian Electric reach its goal of using 40% renewable energy for electricity production by 2030.
Project Details
Renewable Cogeneration Facility
Facts at a Glance
The Cogeneration Area will utilize a Combustion Turbine, the equivalent of jet engine.
Timeline
2024
Interconnection study and negotiation of Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Hawaiian Electric
2025
Execution of PPA and approval process at Public Utilities Commission
2026-2027
Procurement and construction Completion of interconnection to Hawaiian Electric
2027
Commence commercial operations
FAQs
In a nutshell, what will this Renewable Cogeneration Facility do?
How long will this project take to complete?
Based on the various government permits required to build this facility, we anticipate the project will be completed by 2027.
When will you able to provide electricity to Hawaiian Electric Company?
Based on the project schedule, we will go live some time after our construction and testing stages are completed by 2027.
Will we see an increase in our electric bills as a result of this project?
Fuel prices depend on a number of factors and it is too early to tell how this project will impact customer bills. It is important to note that producing renewable fuels is more costly than producing traditional petroleum fuels. Our goal is to produce reliable, affordable, and low-carbon energy sources. That is why government support for locally produced renewable fuels is so important to move our state forward.
How will this project impact the surrounding Kapolei neighborhood?
If I have any concerns, who can I contact?
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please reach out to Marc Inouye, our Director of Government and Public Affairs, at minouye@parpacific.com or call (808) 203-2344 (office) or (808) 352-2479 (cell).
Contact Us
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please reach out to Marc Inouye, our Director of Government and Public Affairs, at minouye@parpacific.com or call (808) 203-2344 (office) or (808) 352-2479 (cell).