Hawai’i’s Board of Land and Natural Resources is reviewing a revolutionary proposal that may change the face of energy in the state through the innovative production of green hydrogen. Eurus Energy America, a Delaware-based firm, has applied for the development of a massive plant that will produce clean fuel from renewable resources. This ambitious project is a major step towards energy self-reliance for the chain of islands.
Campbell Industrial Park selected for renewable energy development
Eurus Energy America has located a strategic 100-acre parcel of land owned by the government in the Campbell Industrial Park for the proposed location of the Olai Green Hydrogen and Solar Project. The location of the project is right beside where the Honolulu Board of Water Supply intends to build a desalination plant, offering a potential symbiotic relationship that could help the two projects complement each other in terms of benefits and costs.
The land is currently owned by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, which was previously utilized as a feedlot but remained abandoned for three decades. However, in 2022, the department found that the lessees were abusing the land by storing abandoned cars and machinery, resulting in their eviction. The Department of Land and Natural Resources plans to acquire the majority of the land from DAB for renewable energy development.
Solar array powers the electrolysis hydrogen production process
About 90 acres would be sufficient to install a photovoltaic panel array to produce 20 MW of electric power to run the hydrogen production machinery. The plant would employ electrolyzers as well as other machinery to produce hydrogen from recycled water supplied via an existing Board of Water Supply pipeline. The oxygen produced as a result of electrolysis would be released, while hydrogen gas would be packed inside trucks to be distributed to various consumers.
Production capacity targets significant fossil fuel displacement
The new plant has the capacity to produce between 500,000 and 800,000 kg of hydrogen per year, sufficient to power a semi-truck for as many as 7 million miles, as estimated by the Department of Energy. The production capacity will abate the importation of between 10,000 and 16,000 barrels of fossil fuels annually, thus lessening the state’s reliance on petroleum-based products. The new project is the state’s initial major attempt at the production of green hydrogen.
Key project benefits
- Reduces fossil fuel imports by 10,000-16,000 barrels annually
- Creates local renewable energy production capacity
- Supports transportation sector decarbonization efforts
- Utilizes previously unused government land effectively
Eurus Energy America, owned by a subsidiary of Toyota, already runs the state’s most massive solar farm on the island of Oahu at Waianae. The company not only has experience with renewable energy projects but has also been working with the state government for the last two years on this project. The company’s plans for the project are still being developed; construction may begin after the project gains regulatory approval and the required public hearings by the land board.
Timeline aims for operational launch by late 2027
The Board of Land and Natural Resources scheduled two public hearings for the presentation of the project details by Eurus representatives. Construction may begin once the approval process is completed, with the target date for operation being late 2027. This schedule for the new power generation facility hinges upon obtaining the required permits, completion of the specifications for the facility, and any concerns raised by the communities during the scheduled hearings.
Other alternative modes of transportation of hydrogen may come from potential pipeline projects, although any of this type of infrastructure will be developed and maintained by a third-party firm and not Eurus Energy itself. The proximity of this plant within the Campbell Industrial Park allows it to take advantage of either truck transportation or pipeline transportation of hydrogen as the hydrogen economy in Hawai’i evolves.
