Miking a 'dash for gas'?

摘要

Providing power and fuel to a remote volcanic cluster of tropical islands in the Pacific is expensive for both power utilities and for Hawaiian consumers. Given its isolated location and lack of coal, gas and underdeveloped hydro, fuel has to be imported from hundreds of miles away. With just over 1.5mn people dispersed over many islands, each with its own independent power system, the market is just too small to benefit from the economies of scale enjoyed by the mainland US or a concentrated market like the UK. Currently, Hawaii pays $8.4bn/y on imports of oil, of which 60% is used for transportation and 40% as fuel for power generation and as a source of synthetic gas for industrial and heating purposes, according to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). Today, around 75% of Hawaii's 10,836,036 MWh of generated power (Source: US Energy Information Agency (EIA) 2012) comes from expensive oil, making residential power prices around three times the US average. In 2012, the EIA reports that the average price for power in Hawaii was 25.1 cents/kWh as compared to the US national average of 9.83 cents.