NEW YORK, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved Hawaiian Electric's $190 million climate adaptation plan, which will better prepare the islands' electric grids for wildfires and severe weather conditions.

The climate adaptation plan - submitted in June 2022 but only just approved - will help reduce the risk of wildfires and make Hawaii's power infrastructure more resilient, said Colton Ching, senior vice president of planning and technology of Hawaiian Electric, said in a statement.

Wildfires fueled by windstorms devastated the resort town of Lahaina, Maui, in August 2023, leaving 115 people dead and 338 missing.

Hawaiian Electric's five-year Climate Adaptation Transmission and Distribution Resilience Program plan includes efforts to strengthen two critical power lines on Maui and replace thousands of poles with fire-resistant materials.

In the wake of the Maui fires, the Department of Energy granted $95 million in federal funds in late August, which the utility said would help reduce the cost of the climate adaptation program to customers by half. (Reporting by Nicole Jao; Editing by Sandra Maler)