HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state will start to explore the use of a controversial energy source that’s not currently allowed in the islands.
Hawaii’s constitution prohibits nuclear power reactors, but with the state’s goal of reaching 100-percent renewable energy by 2045, lawmakers are having the state take another look.
Lawmakers approved Friday Senate Bill 1588, which establishes a nuclear energy task force within the Hawaii State Energy Office and calls for an interim report prior to the 2026 legislative session.
“There’s a lot of concerns surrounding the technology and really, these working groups, the intent of them is to look at the many issues surrounding them,” said Monique Zanfes with the Hawaii State Energy Office.
State energy officials say technology is advancing and nuclear reactors wouldn’t necessarily look like the massive plants we’re used to seeing.
“These small modular reactors are a newer technology that look more promising,” explained Zanfes.
But those options are still in the early phases, and even if they were viable here in Hawaii, experts say any implementation would still be decades away.
The Hawaii State Energy Office said in a statement:
“The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office appreciates the efforts of Hawai’i legislators to form a nuclear energy task force as we move to accelerate Hawaii’s transition away from fossil fuels. While acknowledging that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) can be built with relatively small physical footprints and less capital investment than full scale nuclear plants, it is our considered opinion that the formation of a nuclear energy task force may be premature, until commercial SMR units have been installed elsewhere, and operational data, installation cost, and waste management systems have been developed and can be evaluated for applicability in Hawaiʻi.
Also, it must be noted that our state constitution states that ʻNo nuclear fission power plant shall be constructed or radioactive material disposed of in the State without the prior approval by a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature.’”
Meanwhile other energy alternatives are picking up speed in Hawaii.
Bob King started his biodiesel company more than 30 years ago, growing sunflowers on Maui and Kauai and using the seeds to make cooking oil. He then turns used cooking oil into fuel for power plants.
When King first started, he produced around 10,000 gallons a year of biodiesel.
Now he’s at 6 million, and his fuel is used to power Schofield Barracks and even the backup generators at Honolulu’s airport.
“I think its well received by both utilities and industrial customers,” said King.
But still, King estimates only around 2 percent of the state’s energy is coming from biodiesel and says one road block the start up investment costs, which can be in the tens of millions of dollars.
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