Orders

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, Chapter 473

and

Application by British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity

to Construct and Operate the Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse Upgrade Project

BEFORE:               M.R. Harle, Panel Chair/Commissioner                   March 31, 2011

O  R  D  E  R

WHEREAS:

A.      On February 22, 2011, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed pursuant to section 46(1) of the Utilities Commission Act (the Act), an application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct and operate the Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse Upgrade Project (the Project) as described in the Application;

B.      The Project Expected Amount is $718.1 million and the Authorized Amount is $856.9 million, which includes costs to date;

C.      The Project has two main components: (1) the Dam upgrade entails the replacement of the spillway piers and spillway gates, rehabilitation of the spillway surface, replacement of the roadway crossing the top of the Dam, anchoring and reinforcement of sections of the existing Right Abutment and construction of a new seepage cut-off wall at the Right Abutment; (2) the Powerhouse upgrade entails seismic upgrades to the Powerhouse structure and rehabilitation/replacement of the three generating units, water conveyancing components, switchyard, electrical and mechanical equipment and ancillary systems.  The target in-service date is June 2017;

D.      BC Hydro held a Workshop on the Application on February 28, 2011 at the Commission Hearing Room, 12^th Floor, 1125 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC, commencing at 9:00 a.m.;

E.       By Order G-34-11, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) established a Written Public Hearing process for the review of the Application having two rounds of Information Requests according to the Regulatory Timetable as set out in Appendix A to that Order;

F.       By letter dated March 29, 2011, BC Hydro applied for a revision to the Regulatory Timetable to:

•         provide BC Hydro additional time to respond to the large number of Intervener Information Requests (IRs);

•         allow more time for Interveners to review the Application; and

•         schedule an informal Ruskin site visit for Commission staff and Interveners.

G.   BC Hydro circulated a draft copy of the proposed changes to the Regulatory Timetable to all Interveners in the Proceeding on Friday, March 25, 2011 and no Intervener raised any concerns.

NOW THEREFORE the Commission orders as follows:

1.       The Written Public Hearing process for the review of the Application is amended according to the Regulatory Timetable as set out in Appendix A to this Order.

2.       BC Hydro will provide a copy of this Order to all Registered Interveners and Interested Parties participating in this proceeding.

3.       This Order, together with any supporting materials, will be made available for inspection at the BC Hydro Office, 333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC  V6B 5R3 and the British Columbia Utilities Commission, Sixth Floor, 900 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC  V6Z 2N3 and will also be available on the BC Hydro and the Commission’s websites at http://www.bchydro.com and http://www.bcuc.com.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this             31^st                 day of March 2011.

                                                                                                                                BY ORDER

                                                                                                                                Original signed by:

                                                                                                                                M.R. Harle

                                                                                                                                Panel Chair/Commissioner

Attachment

Application by British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity

to Construct and Operate the Ruskin Dam and Powerhouse Upgrade Project

AMENDED REGULATORY TIMETABLE