Possible Interisland Cable Routes
Enlarge image
Preferred (black) and alternate (dashed) cable routes, other routes surveyed (white dashed), on sunlit bathymetry (gray) and seafloor acoustic imagery (red = strong, green = weak). Pink = existing telecom cable, red dot = observed cable crossing, blue box = bottom fish refuge, red box/circle = dump areas, ruled area = humpback whale sanctuary
Cross-section of an existing high-voltage direct current cable. Individual cable sections will be approximately 3 inches in diameter (about the size of a can of tuna). Each route may have three or more cross-section conductors for reliability.
Based on its analysis of the new and existing ocean floor data, the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (UHM-SOEST) identified a number of potential routes for Hawai‘i's proposed interisland undersea power cable:
- Pearl Harbor/Honolulu Harbor to Lana‘i
- Kane‘ohe to northwest Moloka‘i
- Northwest Moloka‘i to Lana‘i
- O‘ahu to Moloka‘i/Lana‘i to Maui
The issues of where the cable may be buried or covered, and at what cost, will be examined in greater detail in the forthcoming environmental impact statement (EIS) for the interisland cable.
More Information
For UHM-SOEST recommendations and details on the routes identified as the most viable based on available data, read the full report. (PDF 3 MB) Download Adobe Reader. The report also identifies a variety of alternative routes and routes that for various reasons are not recommended.
