HI SB1648

Requires electric utilities to compensate customers for all actual damages (excluding consequential damages and litigation costs) when power outages affecting more than 1,000 customers last four or more hours

Allows utilities to seek a waiver from the Public Utilities Commission within 30 days if the outage resulted from weather events, customer tampering, civil unrest, animal damage, or third-party damage to equipment

Prohibits utilities from recovering compensation costs or compliance expenses from ratepayers; all payments must come from non-ratepayer funds

Establishes claims process requiring customers to file within 150 days of the outage, with utilities required to issue decisions within 30 days of the commission's waiver ruling or claim submission

Mandates utilities maintain detailed service records for all outages affecting 10 or more customers, including date, duration, cause, geographic area, equipment involved, and remediation measures, with records publicly available for at least 10 years

Takes effect July 1, 2050