Hawai'i's dependence on imported oil in an era of terrorist attacks on oil fields and the Middle East, along with ideas about renewable energy sources, will be discussed next week in a series of meetings for the state's top business, government, educational and union leaders.

"We've got to figure out a way we can guarantee reliable energy," said Michael Fitzgerald, chief executive of Enterprise Honolulu, a nonprofit group that promotes economic development. "We're one of the more vulnerable areas because we don't have alternatives you can shift to as do other states."

About 89 percent of Hawai'i's energy is generated or produced from oil, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Of the oil we use, 87 percent comes from foreign sources. For that and other reasons, the state is updating its energy strategy and increasing its attention to alternative energy sources.

Crude oil for August delivery jumped to a record $77.03 a barrel in New York Mercantile Exchange trading yesterday. The revised state strategy, like the last, will include recommendations on renewable sources. Last year, only 5.7 percent of the energy used here came from renewable sources, or slightly more than the 5.5 percent from coal.

Fitzgerald said a major problem with foreign oil supplies could be economically devastating. Hawai'i has the highest dependence on oil for energy of any state, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It also has the highest electricity rates, natural gas costs and gasoline prices of any state.

While the state has access to the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the disruption could be difficult for companies requiring uninterrupted power. Fitzgerald would like to see more people discussing ways to reduce imported oil as well as explore renewable energy projects that could make the state a leader in the industry.

The group is bringing in Rinaldo Brutoco, head of the World Business Academy in Ojai, Calif., and Jerry Brown, a Florida International University professor, to present information and views on world energy. The two are writing a book about how the U.S. can reduce its dependence on foreign oil.

Brutoco and Brown will give three presentations to invitation-only meetings of local leaders beginning Monday. Among those invited are heads of Hawai'i's biggest corporations, legislative, state and county leaders, as well as union leaders.

The state hopes to complete its updated energy strategy by next March. The prior strategy included a number of proposals to increase use of renewable sources, including mandating gasoline blended with ethanol and setting renewable energy use targets for electric utilities.

But the six-year-old strategy was drawn up when it cost less than $25 a barrel.

"It makes renewable energy much more attractive," said Steven Alber, an energy planner for the state who is helping update the strategy. He said the plan also needs revision because of developments in technology, including hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels.

The state is holding a series of meetings on revising the plan and hopes to complete the report by the end of the year.

Bloomberg News contributed to this report.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.