ORDER NUMBER
R-42-16
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Bear Mountain Wind Limited Partnership
Application to Change Registration required for compliance with
Mandatory Reliability Standards
BEFORE:
D. M. Morton, Commissioner
H. G. Harowitz, Commissioner
M. Kresivo, Commissioner
R. I. Mason, Commissioner
R. D. Revel, Commissioner
on December 15, 2016
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On December 7, 2016, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), acting as the Administrator for the British Columbia Mandatory Reliability Standards Program (BC MRS Program), issued a Recommendation for Deregistration (Recommendation) of Bear Mountain Wind Limited Partnership (Bear Mountain) for the functions of Transmission Owner (TO) and Transmission Operator (TOP);
B. Section 125.2 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) assigns exclusive jurisdiction to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) to determine whether a “reliability standard,” as defined in the UCA, is in the public interest and should be adopted in BC;
C. The Mandatory Reliability Standards Regulation (MRS Regulation), Ministerial Order M039, deposited February 23, 2009, described the parties subject to reliability standards adopted under section 125.2(6) of the UCA and on June 4, 2009, the Commission issued Order G-67-09 specifying that entities subject to reliability standards must register with the Commission;
D. In accordance with the Administration Agreement between the WECC and the Commission, dated September 8, 2009, and renewed August 21, 2014, WECC makes registration recommendations in its role as Administrator for the BC MRS Program;
E.
The Registration Manual, approved by Commission
Order G-123-09 and amended by Commission Order
R-34-15, requires an Entity to notify WECC of any change in circumstance
affecting its registration and allows the Entity 21 days to respond to any registration
recommendation issued by WECC;
F. By Order G-96-10 dated June 3, 2010, the Commission approved the registration of Bear Mountain for the functions of Generator Owner (GO), Generator Operator (GOP), TO and TOP with the BC MRS Program;
G. On July 17, 2014, by Order R-32-14, the Commission adopted Reliability Standards FAC-001-1, FAC-003-3, PRC-004-2.1a and PRC-005-1.1b that require a GO and GOP to assume compliance responsibilities for TO and TOP requirements for the transmission line that connects generation to the BES. Commission Order R‑32-14 also specified BC effective dates for each reliability standard, the last of which was August 1, 2015 for FAC-003-3;
H. On November 17, 2015, the UCA was amended to repeal sections 125.2(8) and 125.2(9) concerning the applicability of reliability standards and include updated sections 125.2(8) and 125.2(9), pursuant to which, the Commission may, by order, specify that a reliability standard adopted under the UCA applies or does not apply to a specified person, a class of persons or a person in respect of specified equipment;
I. In consideration of the compliance requirements of the four reliability standards applicable to a GO and GOP noted in Recital “G” above, Bear Mountain requested that WECC review its registration with the BC MRS Program;
J. WECC reviewed the Bear Mountain facilities and issued the Recommendation noting that deregistering Bear Mountain as a TO and TOP would be consistent with entity registration practice in the United States;
K. On December 7, 2016, and in response to the Recommendation, Bear Mountain informed the Commission that it accepts WECC’s Recommendation; and
L. The Commission reviewed the Recommendation and considers deregistration of Bear Mountain for the TO and TOP functions is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 125.2(10) of the Utilities Commission Act and in accordance with the Registration Manual that is Appendix 1 to the Rules of Procedure for Reliability Standards in British Columbia, the British Columbia Utilities Commission approves that Bear Mountain Wind Limited Partnership be deregistered for the Transmission Owner and Transmission Operator functions with the British Columbia Mandatory Reliability Standards Program.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 15th day of December 2016.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
D. M. Morton
Commissioner