HONOLULU -- Hawaii is moving forward with plans to build an undersea cable that would bring wind power from the island of Maui to Oahu.

State officials announced Thursday they are accepting bids from contractors to do an environmental study of the cable's possible impacts on whales, the ocean floor and coral reefs.

It could take between two and three years to finish the study and obtain permits, and then it would take only a few months to build the cable itself.

The cable is needed to wean the islands off their dependence on foreign oil, which sucks money out of the state and could wreck the local economy if it were ever cut off, Gov. Linda Lingle said.

"The interisland cable project is an important piece of infrastructure needed to achieve the goal of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative of 70 percent clean energy by 2030," Lingle said.

The state is in a partnership with Hawaiian Electric Co. and the federal Department of Energy in working to use clean energy for 70 percent of Hawaii's needs by 2030.