P.R. Laws tit. 22, § 1020
The Electric Power Authority is hereby directed to adopt or modify the regulations needed for faithful compliance with this chapter in accordance with the standards and technical requirements established by the Energy Commission. Said regulations shall be promulgated within a term that shall not exceed one hundred eighty (180) days after the approval of this act.
PREPA shall be required to promulgate regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators with a generating capacity of less than one megawatt (1MW), as well as regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators with a generating capacity between one megawatt (1MW) and five megawatts (5MW) to be connected to sub-transmission facilities. Such regulations shall be consistent with the public policy on interconnection set forth in § 1019 of this title and shall ensure the reliability and safety of the electric power system. Said regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators shall be promulgated within a term of one hundred eighty (180) days after the effective date of this act, which term shall not be extended. Furthermore, PREPA shall amend any other regulations in effect that govern or are related to the Net Metering Program to conform it to the provisions of this chapter and the terms and procedures to be included in the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators.
In the event that the Electric Power Authority fails to promulgate or modify the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators on or before one hundred eighty (180) days after the approval of this act, the evaluation and approval process of applications for interconnection of distributed generators shall be established by the Energy Commission, following the best practices of the industry. Such process shall have the purpose of reducing administrative steps while safeguarding the reliability and safety of Puerto Rico’s electric power grid, and ensuring compliance with the public policy on energy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Any amendment proposed by PREPA to the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators must be consulted with the Energy Commission and approved by the same, prior to the public hearing process established in this chapter.
The Electric Power Authority shall be required to hold public hearings prior to the approval of any amendment to the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators. Such public hearings shall not be held within less than thirty (30) days after the publication of the public notice of the proposed amendment to the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators. The public hearing shall be directed by a special evaluation committee, which shall be composed of a representative of the Electric Power Authority, the Executive Director of CEPPO, and a representative of the renewable energy industry selected by the Commonwealth Energy Public Policy Office, pursuant to § 1020a of this title. Thirty (30) days after the public hearing process has concluded, the special evaluation committee shall render a joint report whereby it shall endorse or not through a majority vote each one of the proposed amendments and include the recommendations of each of the representatives that constitute the evaluation committee. Should said evaluation committee deem that the text of one or more of the proposed amendments should be amended, it may propose such modifications to the proposed amendments that have been agreed on through a majority vote. Once the report of the special evaluation committee has been rendered, the Electric Power Authority shall amend the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators in accordance with those amendments adopted by the evaluation committee through a majority vote. Any amendment proposed by the Electric Power Authority that is not approved by a majority of the evaluation committee shall not be included in the regulations for the interconnection of distributed generators.
History —Aug. 16, 2007, No. 114, added as § 10 on May 27, 2014, No. 57, § 5.4.