Navy Plans To Close Red Hill Fuel Facility By 2027 But Keep Empty Tanks In Place

TL;DR - The Navy is proposing that its World War II-era fuel storage tanks and pipelines at Red Hill be permanently closed by August 2027 and stay in place after they are drained of fuel, according to a plan submitted to the Hawaii health department on Tuesday.

The “closure in place” plan would take out of service 20 massive fuel storage tanks, four smaller underground tanks and a sprawling piping system but leave them in the ground indefinitely for possible reuse not involving fuel or other contaminants.

The facility was built into a Honolulu mountainside near Pearl Harbor in the 1940s and sits 100 feet above the island’s primary drinking water aquifer. 

November 1, 2022: Navy Plans To Close Red Hill Fuel Facility By 2027 But Keep Empty Tanks In Place, Honolulu Civil Beat

November 2, 2022: Military announces plans, 2027 closure date for Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, KITV

November 2, 2022: Navy wants to find alternative uses for Red Hill as part of its closure plan, Honolulu Star-Advertiser