Report Title:

Floating Platform

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to develop a multi-use ocean floating platform that would serve as an international research and development center for fishing and renewable energy.

 

 

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

50

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO AN OCEAN FLOATING PLATFORM.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. In 1998, conferees from the International Ocean Alliance Floating Platform Summit met and recommended that Hawaii develop a multi-use, multi-level ocean floating platform. They recommended that an oil-based power plant be built on the top deck to generate electricity. The electricity would be sent to one or more islands and sold to generate revenue. The revenue generated would be used for ocean floating platform development in the future.

Conferees also recommended that a large-diameter pipeline be built and suspended vertically from the platform to a depth of several hundred meters. Cold, nutrient-rich waters would be pumped to the condensers of the plant to lower pressure and temperature, increase the temperature differential across the turbine, and increase power output efficiency. Effluent water would be warmed and returned to the sea. The sea water would be used as a food source for floating sea pens and large fish cages. The warmed water would create an excellent open-sea laboratory for fishery research.

The ocean floating platform would also serve as a testing center for renewable energy work in wind, solar, wave, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), and hydrogen. Mooring station-keeping and other related issues would be researched using this ocean floating platform.

The legislature finds that Hawaii would be an ideal place to develop a multi-use ocean floating platform to serve as an international research and development center for fishing and renewable energy.

The purpose of this Act is to provide funds for the University of Hawaii to develop a multi-use ocean floating platform.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $100,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 for a feasibility study of a multi-use ocean floating platform to serve as an international research and development center for fishing and renewable energy; provided that no funds shall be made available under this Act unless the private sector provides matching funds.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.

INTRODUCED BY:

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