Hawaiian Electric Co. said today it seeking a company to supply sustainably produced biodiesel to fuel the company’s new Campbell Industrial Park generating Unit.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission last week denied Hawaiian Electric’s request to approve a biodiesel supply contract with Imperium Services, LLC, based in Washington State.
“Being able to use liquid renewable fuels in our generating units is one of many steps -- including more electricity from other renewable sources such as solar, wind, biomass and the ocean -- to meet our goal of providing reliable electric service while reducing Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels,” said Robbie Alm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president.
HECO issued two requests for proposal. One contract would be to supply 400,000 gallons of biodiesel to conduct operational testing and collect emissions data for permitting purposes. A second request for proposals is to supply 3 million to 7 million gallons of biodiesel per year for two years.