A $4.1 million emergency power plant is being built at Honolulu Airport to provide a steady supply of electricity in the event of a blackout.
The new plant is the latest in a series of steps taken by the state Department of Transportation to upgrade the emergency generation system at the airport following islandwide power failures in October 2006 and December 2008.
The 2008 blackout, which came while President Obama was vacationing on the island, cut power to the airport, forcing hundreds of visitors to use stairs to deplane because the electric jetways could not operate.
The power plant will run on a variety of fuels, including biodiesel and — if necessary — jet fuel.
Hawaiian Electric Co. selected Maui-based Pacific Biodiesel to supply biodiesel for the emergency power generation system.
Pacific Biodiesel will provide HECO with at least 250,000 gallons of fuel made from locally recycled cooking oil, under a three-year contract, the companies said. The biodiesel will be burned at the new 8-megawatt generating station scheduled to be completed at the airport in October 2012.
HECO did not disclose the price it will pay for the biodiesel. The contract is subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission.
The plant will consist of four generating units, which will feed electricity into the HECO grid during normal operations but will be isolated to power the airport exclusively during an emergency, HECO said.
The new generation station will replace portable generators currently on standby in the event of a blackout.
The three-year fuel contract with renewal options calls for Pacific Biodiesel to supply biodiesel collected and processed either at its plant on Oahu or one that is under construction in Keeau on Hawaii island.
In addition to recycling cooking oil on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island, Pacific Biodiesel is managing the Military Biofuels Crop Demonstration Project in Waialua on Oahu funded by a $2.4 million federal grant. The project is designed to develop a production model for fast-growing, oil-producing plants like safflower, sunflower and camelina to produce biodiesel for the military and the local community.
