Orders

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

A Filing by FortisBC Energy Inc.

For Acceptance of the Biomethane Purchase Agreement Between

FortisBC Energy Inc. and the City of Surrey and Approval of the Monthly Facility Fee

BEFORE:               R. D. Revel, Commissioner                                           December 2, 2015

O  R  D  E  R

WHEREAS:

A.      On November 24, 2015, FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission, BCUC) an application under section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) for acceptance of an executed Biomethane Purchase Agreement between FEI and the City of Surrey dated September 16, 2015 (Agreement) and also under sections 59 to 61 of the UCA for approval of a monthly facility fee as set forth in Schedule D of the Agreement (Application);

B.      Previously, by Order G-194-10 and its Decision dated December 14, 2010, the Commission approved the FEI (formerly known as Terasen Gas Inc.) 2010 Biomethane Application. Also, by Order G-210-13 and its Decision dated December 11, 2013 (2013 Decision), the Commission approved the continuance of the Biomethane Program on a permanent basis with certain modifications as directed in the 2013 Decision;

C.      In the Application, in accordance with the BCUC Practice Directive related to Confidential Filings, FEI further requests the Agreement, the financial model, and purchase scenario illustrations appended to the Application as Appendices A, B, and C respectively, be held confidential due to their commercially sensitive nature;

D.      FEI does not object to customer group interveners and environmental interveners who are not competitors of FEI or potentially negotiating with FEI for biomethane supply projects, being provided with these confidential appendices upon executing standard form undertakings of confidentiality; and

E.       The Commission considers that establishing a written hearing process for the review of the Application is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the British Columbia Utilities Commission orders as follows:

1.       The Regulatory Timetable for the Application is set out in Appendix A to this order.

2.       FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI) must provide a copy of this order and the non-confidential portion of the Application to past interveners and interested parties in the FEI Biomethane Service Offering: Post Implementation Report and Application for Approval of the Continuation and Modification of the Biomethane Program on a Permanent Basis (2012 Biomethane Application) by no later than Friday, December 4, 2015.

3.       The Application, together with any supporting materials, will be made available for inspection at the FEI Office, 16705 Fraser Highway, Surrey, BC, V4N 0E8. The Application and supporting materials will also be available on the FortisBC Utilities’ website at www.fortisbc.com.

4.       Interveners and interested parties must register with the Commission, in writing or by electronic submission, by Monday, December 14, 2015. Interveners must specifically state the nature of their interest in the proceeding and identify generally the nature of the issues they may intend to pursue during the proceeding, as well as the nature and extent of their anticipated involvement in the review process. Information filed in the proceeding will be made public via the Commission’s website.

5.       Appendices A, B, and C of the Application will be kept confidential due to its commercially sensitive nature. Customer group interveners and environmental interveners who are not competitors of FEI or potentially negotiating with FEI for Biomethane supply projects are allowed to be provided with the confidential appendices of the Application upon executing standard form undertakings of confidentiality.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, In the Province of British Columbia, this      2^nd          day of December 2015.

                                                                                                                                BY ORDER

                                                                                                                            Original signed by:

                                                                                                                                Commissioner

Attachment

A Filing by FortisBC Energy Inc.

For Acceptance of the Biomethane Purchase Agreement Between

FortisBC Energy Inc. and the City of Surrey and Approval of the Monthly Facility Fee

REGULATORY TIMETABLE