Leading Role for HC&S in Hawaii Renewable Energy Research, Biofuels -- Federal Funding to be Provided
2010年4月8日 - 10:00AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S) today
announced that it is at the center of significant new Hawaii-based
research initiatives on biofuels, working closely with the
University of Hawaii and various federal agencies to realize the
promise of expanded production of clean, renewable energy.
In today’s announcement, HC&S noted support from Sen. Daniel
K. Inouye in detailing annual federal funding of at least $4
million that will be made available through two separate programs,
one funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the other by the
Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), to conduct research at
HC&S.
The DOE funding of $2 million annually will be directed to
research on energy crop development and energy conversion
technologies to be conducted by the University’s College of
Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). The ONR funding,
also $2 million annually, will support complementary crop and
technology assessments, as well as an evaluation of long-term
resource requirements for biomass production. In announcing the ONR
portion of the funding, US Department of Agriculture Deputy
Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said the USDA would direct the research
initiatives, providing $2 million per year through 2015, to help
Hawaii accelerate sustainable biofuel feedstock production.
“This federal funding represents a vote of confidence in Hawaii
and in the future of HC&S,” said Chris Benjamin, general
manager of HC&S. “It is a significant step toward our goal of
transforming HC&S into a large-scale energy farm, playing a key
role in securing Hawaii’s energy future.”
Benjamin continued, “These research programs further complement
our ongoing efforts to pursue energy projects with the private
sector. Our ultimate goal is to produce advanced biofuels and
renewable electricity from sugarcane and other biomass crops grown
in Hawaii. In order to do that, we must carefully assess both parts
of the bioenergy picture: the feedstock supply and the feedstock
conversion to fuel.”
Benjamin explained that the DOE-CTAHR and ONR-USDA partnerships
are evidence there is growing national interest in the potential
for biofuel production in Hawaii. “There is broad agreement by
these agencies that HC&S is in a unique position to investigate
this potential. So while we continue to address the challenge of
restoring our sugar business to profitability in the near-term, we
have a road map to a long-term future as a major provider of clean
energy,” Benjamin stated. “We see our emerging role as a working
laboratory—for Hawaii and the rest of the country—to test the
potential of biofuel production.”
HC&S has a long history of working collaboratively with
outside research organizations, including UH-CTAHR and the Hawaii
Agricultural Research Center, in agricultural research and
development. HC&S’ large acreage, access to water,
irreplaceable farming infrastructure and agricultural labor force
make it an ideal candidate for large-scale biofuel production.
Benjamin noted that while conversion technologies are still in the
developmental stage, “breakthroughs are on the horizon.”
Sen. Inouye echoed Benjamin’s comments in his visit to HC&S
on Wednesday. Inouye expressed his support for energy crop
development and conversion technology. He said the funds invested
by the DOE and the Navy’s ONR will support studies that could
benefit biofuel development efforts not just in Hawaii but across
the US Mainland.
HC&S cultivates more than 35,000 acres of sugarcane in
Maui’s central valley and provides employment to 800 Maui
residents. Most of its raw (unrefined) sugar is shipped to
Crockett, California for further refining by C&H Sugar.
HC&S also produces food-grade specialty sugars at its Pu'unene
Mill on Maui. Besides supplying the electricity for all of its own
operating needs, HC&S produces about 7% of the electricity
consumed by the rest of the island of Maui. This 7% represents
about 35% of the island's renewable energy supply, which HC&S
generates primarily through the burning of bagasse (the remains of
the sugar cane plant, after the sugar has been extracted).
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. is headquartered in Honolulu,
Hawaii and is engaged in ocean transportation and logistics
services through its subsidiaries, Matson Navigation Company, Inc.,
Matson Integrated Logistics, Inc. and Matson Global Distribution
Services; in real estate through A&B Properties, Inc.; and in
agribusiness through Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company and
Kauai Coffee Company, Inc. Additional information about A&B may
be found at its website: www.alexanderbaldwin.com
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts
are “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking
statement. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance. This release should be read in conjunction with
our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC
through the date of this release, which identify important factors
that could affect the forward-looking statements in this
release.
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