Top executives from Hawaiian Electric Company briefed state senators last Friday on the utility’s plan to reduce wildfire risk by 80 percent on the five islands it serves.

The utility has several initiatives underway, including replacing outdated fuses that could start fires and implementing AI-powered cameras to spot signs of forest fires. Hawaiian Electric says these efforts have already cut the risk of wildfires in half.

Colton Ching, senior vice president of HECO, said other strategies will be more difficult to implement, including burying power lines.

A little more than half of the utility’s transmission lines are already underground, and Ching estimated it would cost $11 million per mile to install additional transmission lines underground.

“So that doesn’t mean we’re against going underground, we know it comes at a cost,” Ching said.

HECO takes a targeted approach to determining which communities would benefit most from having their lines underground, with Lahaina at the top of the list. Ching said HECO is working closely with Lahaina residents to see how underground lines could help with the city’s rebuilding efforts.

“But we’re having a hard time determining what the appropriate role of the underground is in places like Lahaina because we don’t yet know exactly what the plans are for Lahaina,” Ching told senators.

HECO also mentioned the global regulation on forest fires. It will pay nearly $2 billion to wildfire victims and plans to make the first payment of $500 million using funds from a recent sale of its stock.

The utility is still determining how it will make the next three payments, but HECO Senior Vice President Jason Benn reiterated that ratepayers are not responsible for that cost.

“We’re not asking for help to pay for anything. We’re paying for the settlement. Not a single cent from the taxpayers,” Benn said.

HECO is required to file its comprehensive wildfire mitigation plan with the Public Utilities Commission by January 10.