ORDER NUMBER
E-15-17
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
FortisBC Inc.
Application for Acceptance of Energy Supply Contracts for 2017-2019
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Commissioner
D. J. Enns, Commissioner
on August 24, 2017
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On July 28, 2017, pursuant to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), FortisBC Inc. (FBC) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission)six energy supply contracts between FBC and Powerex Corporation (Powerex) for the purchase of wholesale market energy (Application);
B. By Order G-61-12 dated May 17, 2012, the Commission approved Rules for Energy Supply Contracts for Electricity (Rules). The Rules facilitate the Commission’s review of energy supply contracts for electricity and proposed energy supply contracts for electricity under section 71 of the UCA;
C. By Order E-10-15 dated April 27, 2015, the Commission accepted the Capacity and Energy Purchase and Sale Agreement (CEPSA) between FBC and Powerex. The CEPSA is a master agreement that sets out the terms and conditions for future market transactions, regarding capacity and energy, entered into by FBC with Powerex;
D. By Letter L-6-17 dated April 27, 2017, the Commission accepted FBC’s 2017/2018 Annual Electric Contracting Plan (AECP);
E. The energy supply contracts in the Application are for the purchase wholesale market energy for the fourth quarter of 2017, the first quarter of 2018, the first quarter of 2019, and the fourth quarter of 2019 (Agreements). The Agreements were executed between June 13, 2017 and June 22, 2017 and were made pursuant to the CEPSA;
F. FBC requests that the information in the Application and the Agreements be kept confidential due to its commercially sensitive nature. FBC provided notice of its filing and redacted versions of the Agreements to interveners in its most recent annual review of rates application, the Annual Review for 2017 Rates; and
G. The Commission reviewed the filing and is satisfied that the Agreements are in the public interest and consistent with FBC’s 2017/2018 AECP and that the information in the filing should be kept confidential.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 71 of the UCA, the Commission accepts the six energy supply contracts executed between June 13, 2017 and June 22, 2017, between FBC and Powerex. The Commission will keep the Application and the Agreements confidential due to their commercially sensitive nature.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 24th day of August 2017.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner