Earth Day serves as a reminder of our kuleana to protect our island home and ensure that we are doing all we can to build a sustainable future for our children. In Hawaii, the effects of climate change are already apparent, from coastal erosion to sea-level rise and severe weather. We believe that as an energy provider, we must be good stewards of the environment, which includes taking actions that help us collectively achieve the state’s goals on carbon emissions reductions. That’s why Hawaii Gas is continuing to invest in renewable fuel sources.

We recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for renewable natural gas (RNG) and renewable hydrogen to further decarbonize our fuel source and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in support of our clean energy plan and the state’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.

Hawaii Gas has always been a pioneer in the gas utility industry. In the 1970s, Hawaii Gas developed a project to locally produce synthetic natural gas to meet the environmental needs of the state at the time, as well as to ensure that the state would have a dependable energy source. Since 1974, we have been safely and reliably blending up to 15% hydrogen into our gas mix for our utility customers on Oahu, the highest amount of any gas utility in the nation. In 2018, Hawaii Gas was the first in the state to utilize RNG produced at the city’s Honouliuli Wastewater RNG facility.

Today, Hawaii Gas is again at the leading edge of our industry.

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This RFP is our next step in our sustainability journey as we continue to lean into innovative solutions and partnerships, while remaining dedicated to providing safe and reliable clean energy at a reasonable cost. As research and innovation continue, we will work to incorporate the use of cost-effective RNG and renewable hydrogen to shift away from our reliance on fossil fuels. Developing a robust renewable natural gas and hydrogen infrastructure will create new local jobs in clean energy, engineering, agriculture, and other industries.

We know we can’t do this alone. Hawaii Gas recently engaged with a diverse group of local and national stakeholders to develop our Integrated Resource Plan, which lays our path forward to support the state’s goals of carbon neutrality. We are also honored to be a part of the state’s application to the U.S. Department of Energy to become a regional clean hydrogen hub. If selected, the Hawaii Pacific Hydrogen Hub (H2Hub) has the potential to develop a robust hydrogen infrastructure that will create jobs, bring more investment to the islands, and help us diversify our economy. Hawaii Gas is proud to be one of many partners that contributed to the state’s application for the H2Hub.

We also completed our company-wide greenhouse gas inventory, measuring against the 2019 baseline for scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. In 2021, Hawaii Gas signed onto the U.N. Global Compact, which is a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles to take steps to support the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

While we make up less than 1% of the state’s direct greenhouse gas emissions, we know we still must do our part for our island home and our planet Earth, and we intend to continue finding ways to integrate more renewable energy sources into our pipeline.

Our future depends on government, business, environmental and community leaders to continue working together so we can develop more renewable gas energy projects here in Hawaii, which can only add to improving the sustainability, reliability and resiliency of our community for generations to come.

Alicia Moy is the president and CEO of Hawaii Gas. Julie Yunker is senior director of sustainability, government and community affairs at Hawaii Gas.