KAILUA-KONA, (AP) - Hawaii Gas is proceeding with plans to bring liquefied natural gas to Hawaii for the first time.
The company filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in August to allow it to ship liquefied natural gas from the Mainland to Hawaii, according to Friday's West Hawaii Today.
Joe Boivan, Hawaii Gas' vice president for external affairs, said the plan is to store LNG in mobile containers. It would be used as an emergency backup for the company's customers who receive synthetic natural gas or propane through pipelines on Oahu.
"Any gas utility is going to need a source of backup," Boivin said after a brief presentation Thursday to contractors and property managers at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel.
Liquefied natural gas is transported at 260 degrees below zero, is not flammable when in liquid form, weighs less than water and air and is composed of 95 percent methane, Boivin said. The fuel can be used in multiple markets, from power generation to cooking and heating, as well as for marine and ground transportation.
In January, Tesoro Corp. announced it intended to sell its Oahu refinery, one of the refineries from which Hawaii Gas purchases a small amount of the fuel it now distributes to customers across Oahu.
