HB588 Summary

• Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish and adopt reliability standards and interconnection requirements for all electric utilities and users of the Hawaii electric system, with the commission retaining these functions and not contracting them out.

• Mandates the PUC distinguish between interconnection facilities (developer's responsibility) and utility network upgrades (utility's responsibility), ensuring interconnection facility costs are borne by the interconnection customer and network upgrade costs are solely the utility's responsibility.

• Prohibits costs for changes to reliability standards or interconnection requirements from being charged to interconnection customers after their power purchase agreement is approved by the PUC.

• Establishes specific interconnection procedures requiring utilities to complete interconnection design, reach agreement with developers, file required requests, meet commission-established timelines, submit interim progress reports at 90 and 180 days, and forfeit performance incentive funds if requirements are not met.

• Applies new requirements to utility-scale renewable energy projects of 5 megawatts or larger and certain community-based renewable energy projects determined by the PUC to be responsible for interconnection costs; takes effect July 1, 3000.