ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

UPDATED: Consumer Advocate questions just how aligned with Hawaiian culture a Florida company can be.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission will ultimately decide if the $4.3 billion deal should be approved, but that hasn’t stopped polling, press conferences and news releases.

On the second day of regulatory hearings on the biggest utility deal in Hawaii history, some questioning of a top utility executive moved behind closed doors.

Regulators begin questioning NextEra and Hawaiian Electric about the largest proposed acquisition in Hawaii’s history.

Top state officials remain opposed to the proposed deal between Hawaiian Electric Industries and NextEra Energy, but the utility companies say it’s in the public’s best interest.

A time-of-use pilot project on Kauai is expected to bring down costs for people who sign up for it. But it could have future payoffs for all customers.

Hawaiian Electric wants to offer shockingly lower rates to customers — at least for part of the day.

Options will be available to view transcripts of the Hawaii PUC hearing without spending thousands of dollars to buy them from the court reporter.

Hawaii energy regulators say they don’t have the time to put the records on their website, but might do so — after the hearing is over.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Advocate office is still struggling to fill vacancies as it represents the public in utility matters.