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Most isle utilities
relying more on oil
Only the Big Island drew
By Gary T. Kubota
more of its power from
renewable sources over
the last decade, officials say
Maui correspondentElectric utilities on the major islands have become more dependent on oil and coal for generating power in the last 10 years, except for the Big Island.
State energy administrator Maurice Kaya said a major reason for the greater reliance has been the shutdown of sugar plantations, where sugar-cane waste was used to produce some electricity for utilities.
Kaya said the geothermal project on the Big Island and the waste-to-energy project on Oahu have helped to reduce the impact of losing biomass-power from the plantations.
On Oahu, 4.4 percent of the power generated by Hawaiian Electric Co. came from renewable sources for most of 1999, a decline from 5.1 percent in 1990.
The power generated by renewable sources by Maui Electric was 9.2 percent in 1990, but dropped to 7 percent in 1999.
Kauai Electric generated 17 percent in renewable energy in 1999, down from 25.3 percent in 1990.
On the Big Island, Hawaii Electric Light Co. generated 20.4 percent in renewable energy in 1990; that figure rose to 25 percent in 1999.
Hawaii Electric Light went from no use of geothermal energy in 1990 to usage of 23 percent last year.
