LIHU‘E — Residents have been turned away at the propane pump in recent weeks, left without needed fuel for stoves and other home appliances. An island-wide propane shortage has been in effect since the end of December, the result of
LIHU‘E — Residents have been turned away at the propane pump in recent weeks, left without needed fuel for stoves and other home appliances.
An island-wide propane shortage has been in effect since the end of December, the result of a breakdown at Chevron’s Campbell Industrial Park refinery in Honolulu, Chevron spokesman Albert Chee said.
The breakdown affected Chevron’s ability to refine gas and produce propane, Chee told news outlets, but gasoline supply was not impacted.
Although the equipment at Chevron’s refinery is back up and running, propane shortages on Kaua‘i persist as distributors continue to ration supplies.
Chee suggested that the distributors are trying to rebuild their diminished reserves. Chevron sells propane to distributors, such as AmeriGas and The Gas Company.
“The goal is to make sure we have a reserve and we can give everyone some supply,” said Stephanie Ackerman, spokeswoman for The Gas Company. “That’s why we’ve been portioning it out to them.”
Meanwhile, Chee said, “We are producing propane now. At the end of last week, we were probably producing more than we usually do.”
Ackerman would not reveal how much of The Gas Company’s supply comes from Chevron.
As of this week, propane retailers, such as Ace Hardware in Lihu‘e, say they continue to receive a reduced, partial supply of propane and run out quickly after tanks are refilled.
“We reached out to our larger customers to request that they conserve,” Ackerman said.
At the same time, she added, the company tried not to create a panic in the marketplace by announcing the shortage.
When asked if prices for propane increased during the short supply, Ackerman said, “I don’t believe any of our pricing was touched.”
The next shipment of propane is expected to arrive at local retailers Friday.
“Even if tomorrow we had a full load of propane, it will still take time to get to the end consumer,” she said. “It’s a food chain issue. It’ll get there. Things will get back to normal.”
