Hawaii State Energy Profile

Hawaii Quick Facts

• With its mild tropical climate, Hawaii had the fourth lowest per capita energy use in the nation in 2012. The 

transportation sector led Hawaiian energy demand in 2012, due in large part to heavy commercial and military 

aviation fuel use.

• In 2012, Hawaii imported 93% of the energy it consumed and, in 2013, the state had the highest electricity prices 

in the nation.

• Hawaii has the world's largest commercial electricity generator fueled exclusively with biofuels; the state’s energy 

plan aims for an agricultural biofuels industry that, by 2025, can provide 350 million gallons of biofuels.

• Hawaii is one of eight states with installed geothermal capacity; in 2013, 23% of its renewable net electricity 

generation came from geothermal energy.

• Hawaii's utility-scale electricity generation from solar energy increased nearly six-fold in 2013.

Last Updated: July 17, 2014

Hawaii Energy Consumption Estimates, 2013

Coal

Natural Gas

Motor Gasoline excl. Ethanol

Distillate Fuel Oil

Jet Fuel

LPG

Residual Fuel

Other Petroleum

Nuclear Electric Power

Hydroelectric Power

Biomass

Other Renewables

Net Interstate Flow of Electricity

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Trillion Btu

Source: Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data System

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Hawaii Energy Consumption by End-Use Sector, 2013

Hawaii Energy Production Estimates, 2012

12.9 %

14.1 %

22.1 %

51.0 %

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Transportation

Coal

Natural Gas - Marketed

Crude Oil

Nuclear Electric Power

Biofuels

Other Renewable Energy

0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0 22.5

Trillion Btu

Source: Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data System

Source: Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data System

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Data

Last Update: June 18, 2015 | Next Update: July 16, 2015

Energy Indicators

Hawaii Net Electricity Generation by Source, Mar. 2015

Hawaii Price Differences from U.S. Average, Most Recent Monthly

Petroleum-Fired

Coal-Fired

Other Renewables

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

GWh

Natural Gas - Citygate

Natural Gas - Residential

Electricity - Residential

Electricity - Commercial

Electricity - Industrial

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Percent

Source: Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly

Source: Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Marketing Monthly; Natural Gas Monthly;

Electric Power Monthly

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Energy Indicators

Demography Hawaii Share of U.S. Period

Population 1.4 million 0.4% 2014 

Civilian Labor Force 0.7 million 0.4% Apr-15 

Economy Hawaii U.S. Rank Period

Gross Domestic 

Product 

$ 75.2 billion 39 2013 

Gross Domestic 

Product for the 

Manufacturing Sector 

$ 1,345 million 50 2013 

Per Capita Personal 

Income 

$ 45,652 21 2013 

Vehicle Miles Traveled 10,099 million miles 44 2013 

Land in Farms 1.2 million acres 43 2012 

Prices

Petroleum Hawaii U.S. Average Period find more

Domestic Crude Oil 

First Purchase 

-- $ 42.66 /barrel Mar-15 

Natural Gas Hawaii U.S. Average Period find more

City Gate $ 18.30 /thousand cu ft $ 4.33 /thousand cu ft Mar-15 find more

Residential $ 39.70 /thousand cu ft $ 9.26 /thousand cu ft Mar-15 find more

Coal Hawaii U.S. Average Period find more

Average Sales Price -- $ 37.24 /short ton 2013 

Delivered to Electric 

Power Sector 

W $ 2.25 /million Btu Mar-15 

Electricity Hawaii U.S. Average Period find more

Residential 31.20 cents/kWh 12.35 cents/kWh Mar-15 find more

Commercial 28.14 cents/kWh 10.58 cents/kWh Mar-15 find more

Industrial 23.79 cents/kWh 6.79 cents/kWh Mar-15 find more

Reserves & Supply

Reserves Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Crude Oil -- -- 2013 find more

Dry Natural Gas -- -- 2013 find more

Expected Future 

Production of Natural 

Gas Plant Liquids 

-- -- 2013 find more

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Energy Indicators

Recoverable Coal at 

Producing Mines 

-- -- 2013 find more

Rotary Rigs & Wells Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Rotary Rigs in 

Operation 

0 rigs 0.0% 2013 

Natural Gas Producing 

Wells 

-- -- 2013 find more

Production Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Total Energy 21 trillion Btu * 2012 find more

Crude Oil -- -- Mar-15 find more

Natural Gas - Marketed -- -- 2013 find more

Coal -- -- 2013 find more

Capacity Hawaii Share of U.S. Period

Crude Oil Refinery 

Capacity (as of Jan. 1) 

147,500 barrels/calendar day 0.8% 2014 

Electric Power Industry 

Net Summer Capacity 

2,673 MW 0.2% Mar-15 

Net Electricity 

Generation

Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Total Net Electricity 

Generation 

776 thousand MWh 0.2% Mar-15 

Net Electricity 

Generation (share of 

total)

Hawaii U.S. Average Period

Petroleum-Fired 67.9 % 0.3 % Mar-15 find more

Natural Gas-Fired 0 % 30.5 % Mar-15 find more

Coal-Fired 17.1 % 33.5 % Mar-15 find more

Nuclear 0 % 19.9 % Mar-15 find more

Hydroelectric NM 7.6 % Mar-15 find more

Other Renewables 12.1 % 7.4 % Mar-15 

Stocks Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Motor Gasoline 

(Excludes Pipelines) 

11 thousand barrels 0.1% Mar-15 

Distillate Fuel Oil 

(Excludes Pipelines) 

449 thousand barrels 0.5% Mar-15 find more

Natural Gas in 

Underground Storage 

-- -- Mar-15 find more

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Energy Indicators

Petroleum Stocks at 

Electric Power 

Producers 

2,534 thousand barrels 8.9% Mar-15 find more

Coal Stocks at Electric 

Power Producers 

W W Mar-15 find more

Production Facilities Hawaii

Major Coal Mines None find more

Petroleum Refineries Chevron USA (Honolulu), Tesoro Hawaii (Ewa Beach) find more

Major Non-Nuclear 

Electricity Generating 

Plants 

Kahe (Hawaiian Electric Co Inc) ; Waiau (Hawaiian Electric Co Inc) ; 

Kalaeola Cogen Plant (Kalaeloa Partners LP) ; Maalaea (Maui Electric Co 

Ltd) ; AES Hawaii (AES Hawaii Inc)

Nuclear Power Plants None find more

Distribution & Marketing

Distribution Centers Hawaii

Petroleum Ports Honolulu; Hilo; Kahului, Maui; Barbers Point, Oahu. find more

Natural Gas Market 

Hubs 

None

Major Pipelines Hawaii find more

Crude Oil None

Petroleum Product None

Natural Gas Liquids None

Interstate Natural Gas 

Pipelines 

None

Fueling Stations Hawaii Share of U.S. Period

Motor Gasoline 283 stations 0.2% 2012 

Liquefied Petroleum 

Gases 

3 stations 0.1% 2013 

Compressed Natural 

Gas 

1 stations 0.1% 2013 

Ethanol 3 stations 0.1% 2013 

Other Alternative Fuels 326 stations 2.0% 2013 

Consumption & Expenditures

Summary Hawaii U.S. Rank Period

Total Consumption 280 trillion Btu 47 2012 find more

Total Consumption per 

Capita 

202 million Btu 48 2012 find more

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Energy Indicators

Total Expenditures $ 7,796 million 39 2012 find more

Total Expenditures per 

Capita 

$ 5,608 6 2012 find more

by End-Use Sector Hawaii Share of U.S. Period

Consumption 

 » Residential 35 trillion Btu 0.2% 2012 find more

 » Commercial 38 trillion Btu 0.2% 2012 find more

 » Industrial 63 trillion Btu 0.2% 2012 find more

 » Transportation 143 trillion Btu 0.5% 2012 find more

Expenditures 

 » Residential $ 1,132 million 0.5% 2012 find more

 » Commercial $ 1,306 million 0.8% 2012 find more

 » Industrial $ 1,182 million 0.5% 2012 find more

 » Transportation $ 4,176 million 0.6% 2012 find more

by Source Hawaii Share of U.S. Period

Consumption 

 » Petroleum 41.6 million barrels 0.6% 2013 find more

 » Natural Gas 2.8 billion cu ft * 2013 find more

 » Coal 0.8 million short tons 0.1% 2013 find more

Expenditures 

 » Petroleum $ 5,702 million 0.6% 2013 find more

 » Natural Gas $ 118 million 0.1% 2013 find more

 » Coal $ 32 million 0.1% 2013 find more

Consumption for 

Electricity Generation

Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Petroleum 779 thousand barrels 42.5% Mar-15 find more

Natural Gas 0 million cu ft 0.0% Mar-15 find more

Coal 65 thousand short tons 0.1% Mar-15 find more

Energy Source Used 

for Home Heating 

(share of households)

Hawaii U.S. Average Period

Natural Gas 2.1 % 48.3 % 2013 

Fuel Oil * 5.5 % 2013 

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Energy Indicators

Electricity 27.9 % 37.4 % 2013 

Liquefied Petroleum 

Gases 

1.2 % 4.8 % 2013 

Other/None 68.8 % 3.9 % 2013 

Environment

Special Programs Hawaii find more

Clean Cities Coalitions Honolulu

Alternative Fuels Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Alternative Fueled 

Vehicles in Use 

7,341 vehicles 0.6% 2011 find more

Ethanol Plant Operating 

Capacity 

0 million gal/year 0.0% 2015 find more

Ethanol Consumption 867 thousand barrels 0.3% 2013 find more

Total Emissions Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Carbon Dioxide 19.0 million metric tons 0.4% 2012 

Electric Power 

Industry Emissions

Hawaii Share of U.S. Period find more

Carbon Dioxide 7,624,794 metric tons 0.4% 2012 

Sulfur Dioxide 14,583 metric tons 0.4% 2012 

Nitrogen Oxide 18,927 metric tons 0.9% 2012 

Analysis

Last Updated: June 19, 2014

Overview

Hawaii's islands stretch more than 1,500 miles across the central Pacific Ocean, 

from the Big Island of Hawaii in the southeast to the Kure Atoll in the northwest. 

The eight main islands, and more than 100 uninhabited reefs, shoals, and atolls, 

are farther from a major landmass than any other island group on earth. Located 

1,800 miles north of the equator, Hawaii is tropical, but its climate is moderated by 

steady trade winds and the surrounding ocean. Extremes of heat, cold, and rainfall 

occur in mountain-created microclimates, but weather at low altitudes is generally 

mild, with little variation year-round. Most of the population lives on Oahu. On all 

the Hawaiian Islands, residents are clustered in the coastal areas.

Hawaii's geographic isolation makes its energy infrastructure unique among the 

states. One-tenth of the state's gross domestic product is spent on energy, most of that for imported crude oil and 

petroleum products. Over four-fifths of Hawaii's energy comes from petroleum, making it the most petroleum-dependent 

state in the nation. The state of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy entered into a partnership in 2008 called the 

Isolated by the 

Pacific Ocean, 

Hawaii is the 

most petroleumdependent state 

in the nation.

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Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), aimed at reducing the state's dependence on petroleum and optimizing the use of 

sustainable local energy sources. 

Hawaii's largest industry is tourism. Major economic sectors also include the U.S. military and agriculture. Transportation 

accounts for about half of all energy consumed. Overall, Hawaii's economy is not energy intensive, and per capita energy 

consumption is among the lowest in the nation. 

Petroleum

Hawaii produces no petroleum and has no proved petroleum reserves. The state has two refineries, located in the 

Honolulu port area. Both can produce a broad range of refined products and have been meeting almost all of Hawaii's 

demand. One refinery was scheduled to be shut down in 2013 and turned into a terminal facility, but a new owner 

decided to maintain refining operations. Refinery feedstock is most often light sweet crude oil imported from Pacific Rim 

producers, although crude oil is also imported from Africa, Russia, South America, and the Middle East. Alaska used to 

be a major crude oil supplier to Hawaii, but its production has declined. Refined products, primarily jet fuel and propane, 

are also imported from Asia, Canada, and the Caribbean.

The transportation sector consumes about six-tenths of all petroleum used in Hawaii, followed by the electric power 

sector, which consumes nearly three-tenths. Jet fuel and motor gasoline each account for about two-fifths of 

transportation fuels consumed. Because of significant demand from military installations and commercial airlines, jet fuel 

makes up a larger share of total petroleum consumption in Hawaii than in any state except Alaska. 

Hawaii has no inter-island pipelines. Crude oil is offloaded to storage tanks in the Oahu refinery area through offshore 

mooring systems, and refined products are loaded at Oahu harbor terminals onto fuel barges for distribution to other 

islands. Hawaii requires the statewide use of oxygenated motor gasoline. Ethanol is shipped in, usually from the U.S. 

mainland or Brazil, for blending with motor gasoline. Plans to produce ethanol in Hawaii using locally grown feedstocks 

have been slow to materialize despite state incentives. A major goal of the HCEI is to displace 70% of petroleum-based 

ground transportation fuels with locally sourced biofuels by 2030.

Natural gas

Hawaii produces no natural gas and has no proven gas reserves. Hawaii is one of 

two states producing synthetic natural gas often called syngas; the other is North 

Dakota. Syngas is produced in an Oahu processing plant, typically by using 

naphtha feedstock from a local refinery. The syngas is delivered by pipeline to 

parts of Oahu. Customers in rural areas of Oahu and on other islands, who are not 

connected to the gas utility's distribution system, use propane. The gas utility is 

diversifying its supply with both liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewables-based 

syngas. As part of its shift to renewables, Hawaii is encouraging development of 

synthetic gas production using local biomass as a feedstock. 

Hawaii's first LNG shipment using a standardized cryogenic container arrived in 

April 2014 from a liquefaction plant in California. Standardized containers can 

serve markets that do not have world-scale LNG import terminals. The LNG was 

regasified and injected into the distribution system owned by Hawaii Gas, 

becoming the first natural gas ever put into the system. The electric power utility, Hawaiian Electric, is exploring the 

conversion of up to eight of its generating plants on five islands to use LNG, which will also be delivered in standardized 

containers.

With its limited supply and distribution network, Hawaii has the lowest total natural gas consumption in the nation and the 

lowest per capita consumption. The commercial sector, which includes hotels and restaurants, consumes about twoHawaii's only 

source of 

natural gas until 

2014 was 

syngas 

produced from a 

naphtha 

feedstock.

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thirds of all natural gas used in Hawaii. The residential sector accounts for less than one-fifth of consumption, in part 

because very few Hawaiians rely on natural gas as their primary fuel for home heating.

Coal

Hawaii does not produce coal and has no estimated recoverable coal reserves. Coal use began in Hawaii in the 1980s 

and was seen then as a way to help Hawaii reduce its dependence on petroleum in both the industrial and the electric 

power sectors. Coal is shipped in by ocean freighter, usually from Indonesia, for Hawaii's single operating coal-fired 

electricity generating plant, a 180-megawatt facility on Oahu. Coal is transported by conveyor belt from a marine 

unloading terminal to the plant. The plant is able to burn wastes like motor oils and tires along with coal. A small amount 

of coal is shipped to Hawaii, typically from Colorado, for industrial uses, mainly to supplement agricultural waste burned 

to power sugarcane processing operations.

Electricity

Petroleum-fired power plants supply over seven-tenths of Hawaii's electricity 

generation. Renewable sources, mainly wind, biomass, and geothermal 

generators, supply another one-tenth of the state's electricity, with coal supplying 

most of the rest. Hawaii's islands have six separate electricity grids that are not 

connected by undersea electric transmission cables. Each island must generate 

its own power. Hawaii is encouraging private initiatives to interconnect the island 

grids for more efficient power generation and to increase development of 

renewable energy resources.

The heavy dependence on imported petroleum and the isolated grids result in 

Hawaii having the highest retail electricity prices of any state in the nation. 

Hawaii's electricity demand is among the lowest in the nation, both in total amount 

consumed and in per capita consumption. About 3 in 10 Hawaiian households use 

electricity as their primary energy source for home heating, but, with the mild 

tropical climate, heating is rarely needed, and nearly two-thirds of households 

have no heating system at all. 

Renewable energy

Hawaii's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), as amended by the state legislature in 2009, requires 40% of electricity to 

be generated by renewable sources by 2030. Until 2015, energy efficiency technologies can count toward meeting some 

interim RPS requirements, but as of 2015, state regulators must set separate Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards 

aimed at reducing anticipated electricity consumption up to 30% by 2030. The overall state goal is 70% clean energy, 

counting both renewable sources and efficiency, by 2030. Technologies recognized in the RPS include: wind; solar 

thermal, and photovoltaic (PV); geothermal; biogas including landfill methane; biomass including municipal solid wastes; 

hydroelectricity; seawater-chilled air conditioning; and wave, tidal, and ocean energy.

The state has substantial renewable resources throughout the island chain. Utility-scale wind potential is found both 

onshore and offshore. The state's six commercial wind farms are on Oahu, Maui, and the main island, Hawaii. A wind 

project on the rural island of Lanai is also planned. A Maui-Oahu undersea power cable that could bring wind power from 

Maui to Oahu is being considered.

Hawaii has substantial solar resources and is generating larger, although still 

small, amounts of electricity from distributed PV installations on all the inhabited 

islands. Hawaii is among the leading states in solar installations per capita. State 

building codes require all water heaters in new single-family homes to be solarpowered. One small solar thermal power plant that was operating on the island of 

Hawaii's 

dependence on 

petroleum and 

its isolated 

island grids 

result in the 

highest 

electricity prices 

in the nation.

Hawaii wants 

increased use of 

biomass and 

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Hawaii closed in 2014. Solar thermal technologies for seawater desalination are 

also being explored. The state has commercial-scale solar PV generation on 

Lanai, Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. The 7.2-megawatt Port Allen project on Kauai 

includes a 3-megawatt battery energy storage system. With the islands' small 

grids, integrating variable wind and solar generation is a concern, leading many 

projects using those technologies to incorporate energy storage or continuous 

voltage regulation to smooth out variability. The state and federal governments 

and the private sector are developing energy storage technology, including 

batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, to support increased renewable energy 

penetration.

Biomass, mainly from agricultural wastes, such as bagasse from sugarcane, has long been used in the islands to 

generate heat and electricity. Because of Hawaii's shrinking agricultural sector, more biomass energy is coming from 

municipal solid waste. A former coal-fired plant north of Hilo on the island of Hawaii is being refurbished to run on local 

biomass. Hawaii aims to substitute sustainably produced biofuels for petroleum-based fuels at its generating plants. An 

electricity generating facility, believed to be the world's largest commercial electricity generator fueled exclusively with 

sustainable biofuel, was brought into service on Oahu in 2010. The HCEI says more use of biomass and biofuels can 

also help boost the state's agricultural sector.

In 2012, Hawaii was one of eight states with operating geothermal power production and one of six states with 

commercial geothermal electricity generation in 2013. Its geothermal generating plant is located on the Kilauea Volcano 

on the island of Hawaii, and utilities are seeking more projects to tap the earth's heat.

Hawaii does not have rivers appropriate for hydroelectric dams. A handful of small hydroelectric turbines use run-of-river 

flow at sites on Maui and the island of Hawaii. The state is also looking to the surrounding ocean for renewable energy. 

The U.S. Navy has been testing wave energy technologies to supply power to its island bases. Studies indicate wave 

energy could provide anywhere from about one-third to all of the electricity Hawaiians use, depending on technological 

advances. Ocean thermal energy technology, which generates electricity through temperature differences between 

warm, shallow waters and cool, deep waters, is being explored. District cooling, drawing up cold deep sea water to chill 

air-conditioning units, is being commercially developed in Honolulu.

Other Resources

Energy-Related Regions and Organizations

• Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD): 5

Other Websites

• Hawaii State Energy Office

• Hawaii Public Utilities Commission

• Hawaii Department of Health, LIHEAP

• Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Weatherization Assistance Programs

• Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative

• Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicle Data Center - Federal and State Incentives and Laws

• Benefits.Gov Energy Assistance (105)

• DSIRE - Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)

• National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)

biofuels to help 

boost the state's 

shrinking 

agricultural 

sector.

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• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)-Issues and Research - News Highlights: Issues and Research 

- Energy

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)-Dynamic Maps, Geographic Information System (GIS) Data and 

Analysis Tools - Maps

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Maps, Imagery, and Publications - Maps

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

• United States Department of Health and Human Services - Administration for Children and Families - Low Income

Home Energy Assistance Program

Email suggestions for additional Hawaii website resources to: states@eia.gov.

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