April 5, 2019
Sent via email Letter L-8-19
Mr. Rod Albers
Manager, Energy and Bioproducts
West Fraser Mills Ltd.
1250 Brownmiller Road
Quesnel, BC V2J 6P5
rod.albers@westfraser.com
Re: West Fraser Mills Ltd. – Application for Exemption from Part 3 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) pursuant to Section 88(3) of the UCA
Dear Mr. Albers:
The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) is in receipt of West Fraser Mills Ltd.’s (West Fraser) application dated March 1, 2019 (Application) requesting an exemption from part 3 of the UCA pursuant to section 88(3) in relation to the proposed supply of electricity to MAAS Blockchain Ltd. (Tenant) at an existing substation owned by West Fraser in Quesnel, BC.
As stated in the Application, the Tenant’s lease term with West Fraser does not exceed five years. Further, the Application states that West Fraser will purchase electricity on behalf of the Tenant, resell the electricity at cost to the Tenant, and will not receive any additional compensation related to the supply of electricity to the Tenant.
An exemption under section 88(3) of the UCA would only be considered in circumstances where the UCA applies to a public utility that is subject to the legislative authority of the province. Based on the facts as set out in the Application, the BCUC is unable to consider an exemption in this instance because West Fraser does not meet the definition of a “public utility” under section 1 of the UCA in relation to the proposed supply of electricity to its Tenant.
Should circumstances change in relation to the sale of electricity to the Tenant or if the tenancy exceeds five years, the obligation is on West Fraser to inform the BCUC of those changes or to apply for an exemption under the UCA, if warranted.
Sincerely,
Original Signed By:
Patrick Wruck
Commission Secretary
DZ/dc
cc: Quinn Miller, EIT, EMIT
West Fraser Mills Ltd.
quinn.miller@westfraser.com