In April, Hawai‘i Gas issued a request for proposals to purchase renewable natural gas and renewable hydrogen—a move that the state’s only regulated gas utility hopes will stimulate economic development while also helping the company continue to pursue cleaner energy.
Alicia Moy, president and CEO of Hawai‘i Gas, expects the process to help inform the utility about the latest innovations being developed to make RNG and renewable hydrogen costeffective and technologically feasible.
“We are excited about the amount of interest that the RFP has already generated,” Moy told American Gas. “Many companies have been reaching out, and it’s remarkable to see how much opportunity there is, especially in the hydrogen blending space.”
Hawai‘i Gas has been blending hydrogen with synthetic natural gas since engineers in 1974 tested and confirmed that SNG with a hydrogen level of 10% and 15% performs safely and effectively in the company’s system and in end-users’ appliances.
Due in September, the RFP is seeking suppliers who can provide up to 65,000 therms of RNG or up to 2,300 kilograms per day of renewable hydrogen, which Hawai‘i Gas says is the equivalent of replacing nearly all its SNG with RNG.
“We hope this RFP will be both a catalyst for the local economy as well as an opportunity to partner with companies that already have expertise in areas of RNG and renewable hydrogen,” Moy said. “Developing a robust RNG and hydrogen infrastructure will create new local jobs in clean energy, engineering, agriculture and other industries and could help diversify our economy.”
According to Moy, Hawai‘i Gas has recently engaged with a diverse group of local and national stakeholders to develop its Integrated Resources Plan, which lays out its path to support the state’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2045. The utility has also completed a companywide greenhouse gas inventory.
“This RFP is our next step in our greater cleaner energy strategy as we continue to lean into innovative solutions and partnerships while remaining dedicated to providing safe and reliable cleaner energy at an affordable cost,” Moy said.