It's encouraging to see HECO take a more aggressive approach in moving way from fossil fuel.

This week, when the company submitted its final plans to the state Public Utilities Commission for the proposed Campbell Industrial Park power plant, the new direction was clear. The plant will burn zero fossil fuels — and it will be the first HECO plant to run completely on renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

That, of course, is good news for our environment and for our economy. Compared to fossil fuels, biofuels are close to carbon-neutral, thus avoiding the problems of greenhouse gases and global warming. And Hawai'i has long had an overdependence on oil.

When the plant was originally proposed earlier this year, HECO planned to use biofuels 50 percent of the time before opting to move to a 100-percent reliance on renewables. The plant, which is intended to supply energy only during peak demand periods, is prime testing ground to determine the real viability of a more comprehensive switch to ethanol.

With the state's mandate that gasoline be blended with 10 percent ethanol, HECO saw no reason to wait, said HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg.

Within the next year, HECO will put out a request for proposals to suppliers of renewable fuels. That gives the renewable fuel industry a major boost and should encourage both the growth of the raw materials and the production of fuels such as ethanol. With just one new plant, HECO would become the state's largest independent user of renewable fuels, Rosegg said.

That's impressive. Let's hope HECO's move to biofuels adds momentum to the push for renewable energy, including wind, solar and ocean-generated approaches.

Indeed, HECO's decision to go full speed ahead toward renewable fuels sends the right message in a state that desperately needs to move away from a deep reliance on oil.