Orders

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Application for Indirect Interconnection Services for Transmission-Voltage Load Customers

BEFORE:               N. E. MacMurchy, Panel Chair/Commissioner

                                I. F. MacPhail, Commissioner                                      December 1, 2015

O  R  D  E  R

WHEREAS:

A.      British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) Tariff Supplement No. 5 (TS 5) prescribes the terms and conditions of service for transmission-voltage load customers. Tariff Supplement No. 6 (TS 6) prescribes the allocation of incremental costs between BC Hydro and new transmission-voltage customers that request service. Both TS 5 and TS 6 are in regard to service to customers that are connected directly to the BC Hydro system;

B.      BC Hydro has received service requests from Cutbank Ridge Partnership, Pretium Resources Inc. and Progress Energy Canada Ltd. for transmission-voltage service via the transmission facilities owned and operated by third parties (Indirect Interconnection Service);

C.      On September 14, 2015, pursuant to section 61(1) of the Utilities Commission Act (Act), BC Hydro filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) for approval of Tariff Supplements 87 (TS 87) and 88 (TS 88) to enable the provision of Indirect Interconnection Service. BC Hydro also applied for approval of corollary amendments to its Electric Tariff (Application);

D.      On September 30, 2015, the Commission established a written hearing process and a regulatory timetable for the review of the Application, attached as Appendix A to Order G-157-15. The timetable provided for one round of Information Requests (IRs) and invited submissions from BC Hydro and Interveners on further process, specifically a second round of information requests, by Tuesday, November 17, 2015;

E.       On November 10, 2015, BC Hydro filed its responses to Commission and Intervener IRs and on November 17, 2015 the Commission received submissions on further process from BC Hydro and Interveners (November 17 Submissions). The November 17 Submissions contained the following:

•         The Commercial Energy Consumers Association of British Columbia (CEC) identified several IRs that were not answered by BC Hydro due to confidentiality reasons. CEC and several other Interveners requested that this information be provided by BC Hydro;

•         The majority of Interveners identified that a second round of IRs was not necessary;

•         BC Hydro proposed that the process for completing the review of the Application be limited to written submissions from the Interveners followed by a reply from BC Hydro. The Interveners did not express opposition to this.

F.       The Panel has reviewed and considered the BC Hydro responses to the Commission and Intervener IRs, and the November 17, 2015 Submissions.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 61(1) of the Utilities Commission Act, the British Columbia Utilities Commission orders as follows:

1.       The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority must provide responses to the following Commercial Energy Consumers Association of British Columbia Information Requests contained in Exhibit C5-2 by December 11, 2015:  1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.7 and 1.1.9.

2.       Responses that the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority considers confidential must be filed in accordance with the British Columbia Utilities Commission’s September 12, 2007 Confidential Filings Practice Directive.

3.       The review of the Application will proceed in accordance with the Amended Regulatory Timetable attached as Appendix A to this Order.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this              1^st            day December of 2015.

                                                                                                                                BY ORDER

                                                                                                                                Original signed by:

N. E. MacMurchy

                                                                                                                                Panel Chair/Commissioner

Attachment

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Application for Indirect Interconnection Services for Transmission-Voltage Load Customers

AMENDED REGULATORY TIMETABLE