Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority

What Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority does

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) is a self-sufficient state agency of the State of Hawaii, attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), that administers the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park) — an 870-acre master-permitted oceanfront technology park on the Kona coast of the Big Island. NELHA's core product is physical and regulatory infrastructure: the world's deepest and largest-diameter seawater intake pipelines, which continuously deliver both cold deep seawater (from depths of up to 3,000 feet at 43,400 gpm capacity) and warm surface seawater (at 55,600 gpm), alongside more than 100,000 gpm of total pumping capacity, 15,000+ sq. ft. of office/lab/conference space, a 9-acre R&D campus, an EPA DMRQA-certified water quality lab, and Foreign Trade Zone and Hawaii Enterprise Zone designations.

The agency's business model is a hybrid infrastructure-utility-real estate platform: it generates roughly $5M in annual self-sustaining revenue through usage-based seawater sales (20.62–80 cents per 1,000 gallons), recurring land and facility leases (10–30 year terms for technical park sites, sub-1-year terms for office space), conference room rentals, and ancillary lab services. NELHA serves more than 55 tenants across aquaculture (Cyanotech, Big Island Abalone, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Ocean Rider, Kona Coast Shellfish), renewable energy and OTEC (Makai Ocean Engineering, Global OTEC, Sandia National Labs, NREL, Shell), marine biotechnology (Symbrosia), bottled water (Koyo USA, Kona Deep), and university and federal research (University of Hawaii, NOAA). Tenant-driven economic impact is reported at $147–150M annually with over 700 jobs statewide.

Operationally, NELHA runs with a lean administrative team of approximately 16 staff supported by a Board of Directors and an Executive Director. The agency has not received state general funds since 2007 and operates under a 50-year mandate established in 1974 to commercialize renewable energy, aquaculture, and ocean-based sustainable technologies. Strategic partnerships with the U.S. Department of Energy, NREL, Sandia National Laboratories, the Republic of Korea, the University of Hawaii, and HATCH Blue provide both funding and technology development pipelines.

Name

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority

Legal name

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority

Website

https://nelha.hawaii.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NELHA is a self-sufficient Hawaii state agency that operates the 870-acre HOST Park, providing tenants with unique dual-temperature deep and surface seawater pipelines, master-permitted land, lab facilities, and incubation space to commercialize renewable energy, aquaculture, and ocean-based sustainable technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Park Infrastructure and Ocean Science Park Management

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Aquaculture (11251)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Treatment, Filtration & Recirculation (RO, UV, Sterilization) (AFAAAHAH), Online Monitoring, Sensors & Instrumentation (SCADA-integrated analyzers, probes, samplers) (EUANAJAC)

Keywords

• Ocean science research park
• Seawater distribution utility
• Renewable energy test bed
• Aquaculture infrastructure leasing
• Research park leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kailua Kona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Seawater Sales: Sale of deep seawater and surface seawater to tenants; rates range from 20.62 cents per 1,000 gallons to 80 cents per 1,000 gallons depending on project elevation
2. Land and Facility Leasing: Leasing of land, offices (200-2,000 sq. ft.), laboratory space, and technical park sites (>1 acre) with 10-30 year lease terms
3. Tenant Revenues and Economic Impact: Self-sufficient state agency with revenues near $5M annually sustained by tenant seawater sales and land use fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NELHA operates the 870-acre Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST Park) at Keahole Point in Kailua-Kona, continuously delivering both cold deep seawater and warm surface seawater through a 24/7 pipeline infrastructure. The agency leases master-permitted land, offices, laboratories, incubation space (Hale Iako), and dedicated technical park sites to renewable energy, aquaculture, and marine biotechnology tenants, while also providing a Clean Energy Test Bed, an Ocean Science Demonstration Site, an EPA-certified Water Quality Laboratory, and conference facilities.

Product overview

NELHA operates HOST Park as a unified platform-plus-infrastructure model, combining an 870-acre master-permitted technology park with specialized facilities including dual-temperature seawater delivery systems, water quality laboratories, and incubator spaces. The core offering is the physical infrastructure and business environment for renewable energy and ocean science companies, complemented by tenant-produced products including nutraceuticals (BioAstin, Spirulina), deep ocean water beverages (Kona Deep), and sustainable aquaculture. Services include clean energy test beds for OTEC and solar technologies, laboratory services, conference facilities, and environmental monitoring programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HOST Park (Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park) An 870-acre master-permitted oceanfront technology park on the Kona coast providing infrastructure for renewable energy, aquaculture, and ocean-based sustainable technologies, featuring dual-temperature seawater delivery systems and high solar insolation.
• Deep Seawater Delivery System Three sets of pipelines delivering cold deep-sea water from depths of up to 3,000 feet, with maximum pumping capacity of 43,400 gpm via the world's deepest and largest-diameter seawater intake pipelines.
• Surface Seawater System Delivers warm, pristine surface seawater from 80 ft depth, with maximum pumping capacity of 55,600 gpm.
• Water Quality Laboratory Services EPA DMRQA-certified laboratory providing nutrient analysis (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, silicate), equipment rental, and laboratory bench space (100–2,000 sq. ft.) with access to surface and deep seawater.
• Hale Iako Incubator Space Ocean-view incubator building offering office, laboratory, and collaboration spaces for energy and ocean-related startups with 10–30 year lease terms.
• Conference Space Rental Ocean-view conference room and collaboration space at Hale Iako available for hourly rental to the public, ranging from $57.20 to $156 depending on space type and day.
• Clean Energy Test Bed Outdoor demonstration site for OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion), solar, ocean, and biomass energy-related projects with over 250 acres slated for applied energy projects.
• Ocean Science Demonstration Site Research campus providing facilities for marine science, aquaculture, and ocean technology demonstration projects utilizing the unique dual-temperature seawater system.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Global OTECcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2025Global OTEC signed lease agreement with NELHA at Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology Park to develop next-generation ocean energy systems, demonstrating multi-megawatt OTEC modules for powering remote offshore assets.
• ShellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2023Makai Ocean Engineering partnered with Shell to advance OTEC technology development at HOST Park.
• Republic of KoreamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021Alliance with Republic of Korea to develop and build an advanced microgrid at NELHA in Kailua-Kona.
• HATCH Blue / UH VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2019State aquaculture accelerator program partnership with $8M follow-on investment fund created for aquaculture startups.
• Sandia National LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2015Partnership for energy storage activities including Aquion Energy storage demonstration system and vanadium redox flow battery projects.
• Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT)coreOthersNELHA is a state agency under DBEDT, which administers HOST Park as an innovative green economic development hub.
• NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for DOE solar desalination development, distributed energy systems, and NREL American-Made Challenges connector program.
• University of HawaiicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawaii Natural Energy Institute, Infrasound Laboratory, and multiple research partnerships with UH Manoa and UH Hilo conducting ocean and energy research at HOST Park.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nelha1
• Facebookfacebook.com/hostparkpoweredbynelha

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority