A proposal to connect Hawaii's Oahu and the neighbor island power grids with an undersea cable has cleared a legislative hurdle.
The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would allow the state to establish regulations for development of a high-voltage electric transmission undersea cable.
Proponents of the cable say it would allow power sharing between islands, which could increase the reliability of electricity and stabilize power costs. The cable proposal has benefits for Maui wind farms and Big Island geothermal plants, as well.
