State Public Utilities Commission Chairman Randy Iwase said Tuesday he is hopeful the commission will announce a decision on NextEra Energy Inc.’s $4.3 billion proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. this week.

“We’re really trying to get it out this week. I’ll see if we can,” Iwase said in a telephone interview.

Iwase said in May he expected a decision by the end of June. In late June he said he expected a decision in the first week of July. PUC approval is needed for the sale to move ahead.

In June, just days before the PUC was expected to issue a decision, Gov. David Ige appointed Tom Gorak, chief counsel to the PUC, to take the place of outgoing Commissioner Michael Champley as one of three commissioners at the PUC.

Ige, who is opposed to the sale of HEI to NextEra, said he was appointing Gorak because he wanted someone whose ideas more closely aligned with his own. Champley and the third commissioner, Lorraine Akiba, were appointed by former Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Iwase was appointed by Ige. So Ige’s appointees are now in the majority.