Off the news: Federal funds for underground power lines

Federal money is providing relief for Hawaii’s costs to boost power line resilience, a particular concern after last year’s devastating West Maui fires. The federal Energy Department has committed to pay half the cost of Hawaiian Electric’s $190 million grid-improvement plan to underground power lines, upgrade above-ground lines and install cameras and weather stations.

Other grants are funding research to make undergrounding more efficient and less costly. Hawaii engineering firm Oceanit is partnering on one, a $3.3 million grant to develop a horizontal tunnel drilling guidance system linking “artificial intelligence-infused” drill heads with automated drones acting as scouts.