KAHULUI — Maui Electric Co. is marching toward 100 percent renewable energy for Maui County, and that will come without an undersea interisland cable, utility President Sharon Suzuki told about 75 people during a community discussion Thursday night at the University of Hawaii Maui College.
Maui County residents have told MECO “very loud and clear” that communities don’t support an undersea cable to transmit electricity among islands, and there are no plans for that project, she said.
“We can reach 100 percent without that project,” she said.
MECO’s updated Power Supply Improvement Plan calls for Molokai to reach the renewable energy benchmark by 2020, with Lanai completing it by 2030 and Maui by 2040. The plan submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission in December is “aggressive” and would beat of the state’s goal of relying 100 percent on renewable energy by 2045, Suzuki said.
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