Kuokoa Board Members Headline Hawaii Energy Conference
08/24/2011
Central Intelligence Agency
Two out of the six plenary speakers for a state energy conference expected to draw leaders from more than 20 countries are high-profile board members of Kuokoa. The company was formed last December and hopes to take over Hawaiian Electric Industries.
The Asia-Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo has been a forum for the global exchange of ideas in the energy sector, and has highlighted the state's Clean Energy Initiative, signed by Hawaiian Electric Co., the state and U.S. Department of Energy.
The three-year old conference, which starts on Sept. 13, is sponsored by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The selection of two of Kuokoa's board members could make for an awkward situation with Hawaiian Electric Co., which plays an integral role in the conference. Representatives from the utility will help lead six out of 38 panel discussions, similar to last year.
Kuokoa board member, James Woolsey, a former director of the CIA, will kick off the conference with Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Board member T.J. Glauthier, a former member of President Barack Obama’s White House transition team, will speak on the last day.
“They are not coming to talk wearing their hat of Kuokoa,” said Lois Hamaguchi, an energy analyst at DBEDT. “We made it very, very, very clear.”
Both Woolsey and Glauthier have extensive experience in the energy sector beyond their affiliation with Kuokoa.
