Par Hawaii’s parent company stops purchases of Russian oil

The owner of Hawaii’s oil refinery announced today that it was suspending purchases of Russian crude oil in light of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. of Houston said in a release that it is turning to other grades of crude, principally from North and South America, to meet fuel production requirements in the islands.

“The geopolitical landscape and energy markets are dynamic. We will continually monitor and evaluate our posture on Russian crude over the coming weeks and months,” the company said. “As the geopolitical situation evolves, we will work closely with our customers and partners in state government to make prudent decisions in support of energy assurance for Hawaii.”

Roughly a quarter of Hawaii’s crude oil came from the Russian Far East in 2021.

Last week officials with Par Hawaii said they didn’t anticipate any disruption in crude oil supply to the state.

In addition, Hawaiian Electric Co. told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Par Hawaii assured it there would be no interruption in oil supply.