IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, Chapter 473
and
Rio Tinto Alcan
Confirmation of Alleged Violation of Mandatory Reliability Standards:
FAC-003-1 Requirement 1 – Violation ID: BCUC2013000416
FAC-003-1 Requirement 2 – Violation ID: BCUC2013000417
BEFORE: D.M. Morton, Commissioner July 3, 2014
O R D E R
WHEREAS:
A. Order G-123-09 approved the Compliance Monitoring Program (CMP) which provides a process for dealing with violations to Mandatory Reliability Standards (MRS) adopted by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission);
B. On May 19, 2014, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), acting as the Commission’s MRS Administrator, issued a Notice of Alleged Violation (NOAV) to Rio Tinto Alcan (Rio Tinto) for the alleged violation of the Reliability Standards listed above. The NOAV described the nature of the Alleged Violations and provided an assessment of the severity of the Alleged Violations;
C. On May 19, 2014, WECC also advised Rio Tinto of its rights under section 4.2 of the CMP, pursuant to which the Applicable Entity has 30 days to respond to the NOAV. The CMP also states if the Applicable Entity fails to respond within 30 days, the Commission may consider the Alleged Violations in the absence of a submission;
D. By email correspondence dated June 26, 2014, WECC informed Commission staff that Rio Tinto accepts the Alleged Violations noted above;
E. Pursuant to section 5.1.1 of the CMP, the Applicable Entity is not required to, but may, prepare a Mitigation Plan for an Alleged Violation at any time. Pursuant to section 5.3.2 of the CMP, the Applicable Entity must submit a Mitigation Plan for a Confirmed Violation within ten business days following confirmation by the Commission;
F. By Commission Order R-26-13, dated June 20, 2013, the Commission accepted Mitigation Plans submitted by Rio Tinto for these Alleged Violations, both with a proposed completion date of May 29, 2014;
G. The Commission has reviewed WECC’s recommendation and considers confirmation of the Alleged Violations is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 125.2 of the Utilities Commission Act and section 4.1 of the Compliance
Monitoring Program, the British Columbia Utilities Commission confirms the Alleged Violations identified above.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 4th day of July 2014.
BY ORDER
Original Signed by:
D.M. Morton
Commissioner