BRITISH COL UMBIA UTILITIES COM MISSION ORDER NUMBER G -35-08 SIXTH FLOOR, 900 HOWE STREET, BOX 250 TELEPHONE: (604) 660-4700 VANCOUVER, B.C. V6Z 2N3 CANADA BC TOLL FREE: 1-800-663-1385 web site: http://www.bcuc.com FACSIMILE: (604) 660-1102 IN THE MATTER OF the Utilities Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, Chapter 473 and An Application by FortisBC Inc. for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Okanagan Transmission Reinforcement Project BEFORE: A.W.K. Anderson, Panel Chair and Commissioner N.F. Nicholls, Commissioner March 14, 2008 O R D E R WHEREAS: A. On December 14, 2007 FortisBC Inc. (“FortisBC”) applied (the “Application”) to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (the “Commission”) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (“CPCN”) for the Okanagan Transmission Reinforcement Project (the “Project”); and B. FortisBC states that the Project is estimated to cost $141.4 million and is required to alleviate system constraints, enhance reliability, and serve emerging load in the Okanagan region of FortisBC’s service territory; and C. The Project will replace the existing 28 kilometre 161 kilovolt (“kV”) transmission line between Vaseux Lake and Penticton with two new 230 kV lines in double circuit configuration and upgrade 11 kilometres of 161 kV transmission line to 230 kV between Vaseux Lake and Oliver, all within the existing line corridor. Other major project components are upgrades to Vaseux Lake Terminal station near Oliver and RG Anderson Terminal station in Penticton to accommodate the voltage change from 161 to 230 kV, the construction of a new Bentley Terminal station approximately 300 metres from the existing Oliver Terminal station on Osoyoos Indian Band land, conversion of the Oliver Terminal station to a distribution substation, and installation of capacitor banks at the FA Lee and DG Bell Terminal stations in Kelowna; and …/2
BRITISH COLUMBIA UTILITIES COMMISSION ORDER NUMBER G-35-08 2 D. By Order No. G-160-07, the Commission established a Regulatory Timetable for a Procedural Conference on February 27, 2008 in Penticton, B.C.; and E. The Commission Panel has considered the submissions it received at and following the Procedural Conference, and has determined that an Oral Public Hearing is required for the regulatory review of the Application. NOW THEREFORE the Commission orders as follows: 1. An Oral Public Hearing is established for the regulatory review of the Application, commencing at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 23, 2008 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Convention Centre in Penticton, B.C. 2. The Regulatory Timetable for the review of the Application is attached as Appendix A. 3. A Community Input Session will commence at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, June 23, 2008 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Convention Centre in Penticton, B.C. 4. The Issues List for the proceeding is attached as Appendix B, and the scope of the Oral Hearing is limited to the issues that are so identified on the Issues List. All other issues in the proceeding will be addressed through written submissions according to the Regulatory Timetable. 5. The review of matters related to electric and magnetic fields (“EMF”) in the proceeding will be limited to evidence and developments that are subsequent to the evidence considered by the Commission in the Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement Project (“VITR”) proceeding, and the impact of the Project will be considered in the context of determinations regarding EMF in the VITR Decision and subsequent developments. DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 14 th day of March 2008. BY ORDER Original signed by: A.W. Keith Anderson Panel Chair and Commissioner Attachments Orders/G-35-08_FortisBC OTR CPCN Revised Regulatory Timetable
FortisBC Inc. for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Okanagan Transmission Reinforcement Project REGULATORY TIMETABLE ACTION Commission Information Request No. 1 Registration of Intervenors and Interested Parties with the Commission FortisBC Responses to Information Request No. 1 Procedural Conference Commission Information Request No. 2 and Intervenor Information Request No. 1 Participant Assistance/Cost Award Budgets FortisBC Responses to Commission Information Request No. 2 And Intervenor Information Request No. 1 Commission Information Request No. 3 and Intervenor Information Request No. 2 FortisBC Responses to Commission Information Request No. 3 And Intervenor Information Request No. 2 Intervenor Written Evidence Information Requests to Intervenors Intervenor Responses to Information Requests Oral Public Hearing commences at 9:00 a.m. Community Input Session commences at 7:00 p.m. FortisBC Written Final Submission Intervenors Written Final Submissions FortisBC Written Reply Submission APPENDIX A to Order No. G-35-08 Page 1 of 1 DATE (2008) Tuesday, January 22 Friday, February 1 Monday, February 18 Wednesday, February 27 Thursday, March 27 Monday, April 7 Thursday, April 17 Thursday, April 24 Tuesday, May 13 Tuesday, May 20 Thursday, May 29 Monday, June 16 Monday, June 23 Monday, June 23 Thursday, July 3 Thursday, July 17 Thursday, July 24
APPENDIX B to Order No. G-35-08 Page 1 of 2 FortisBC Inc. Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Okanagan Transmission Reinforcement Project PROCEEDING ISSUES LIST, VERSION 2, WITH ISSUES FOR ORAL HEARING IDENTIFIED ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Need for project • Reliability standards • Size • Timing of in-service • Demand/load forecast • Consideration of alternatives, including power supply options and DSM solutions (ORAL) 2. Consultation • Adequacy • Response to consultation (adjustments to project) 3. Route (ORAL) • Alternative routes • Adequacy of analysis of alternative routes 4. Community Contributions in Aid of Construction (CIAC) toward costs of alternate routes or options (ORAL) 5. Schedule • Achievability • Consequences of delay • Permits and approvals required • Risk analysis 6. Engineering Design • Appropriateness • Double circuit between Vaseux and Anderson • Pole structure selection (ORAL) • Flexibility for future system expansion • Impacts on BCTC system • Bentley and Oliver substations
APPENDIX B to Order No. G-35-08 Page 2 of 2 7. Cost Estimates • Methodology and assumptions (ORAL) • Accuracy of current estimate • Escalation of cost estimates (ORAL) • Calculation of benefits • Cost risk analysis • Possible cost control mechanism 8. Financial factors comparison • Financial costs and rate impacts for project options • DCF comparison of project options 9. Non-financial factors comparison • Environmental and First Nations impacts of alternate routes or options (ORAL) • Noise (ORAL) • Corona emissions 10. Private property impacts (ORAL) • Impact of current line vs. incremental impact of OTR • ROW agreements 11. EMF (ORAL) • Reliance on previous Commission decisions • Subsequent developments (e.g., WHO 2007 Report) • Impact of OTR on EMF levels within and near the ROW • Precautionary measures included in OTR design
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