CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 251-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2474

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2474, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to require the Public Utilities Commission to establish reliability standards and interconnection requirements for renewable energy projects and community-based renewable energy projects.

Your Committee on Conference finds that facilitating the timely interconnection of utility-scale renewable energy projects will help set standards for grid-reliability, support the State's renewable energy goals, and reduce the risks of project delays and variables; thereby benefiting ratepayers and the State.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with language that:

(1) Requires the Public Utilities Commission to contract with a qualified consultant to conduct a study on the accessibility of Hawaii's electrical system and procedures for interconnection to Hawaii's electrical system;

(2) Requires a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023;

(3) Appropriates funds for the Public Utilities Commission to contract with a qualified consultant to conduct a study on the accessibility of and procedures for interconnection to Hawaii's electrical system;

(4) Makes it effective on July 1, 2022; and

(5) Makes technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2474, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2474, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair	____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Chair
____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair
____________________________ LISA MARTEN Co-Chair	____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI Co-Chair