ORDER NUMBER
E-20-19
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
FortisBC Inc.
Application for Acceptance of Energy Supply Contracts with Powerex Corporation
for the First and Fourth Quarters of 2020 and the First Quarter of 2021
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Commissioner
on October 24, 2019
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On August 23, 2019, pursuant to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), FortisBC Inc. (FBC) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) four Energy Supply Contracts (Agreements) between FBC and Powerex Corporation (Powerex) for the purchase of wholesale market energy in the first and fourth quarters of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 (Application);
B. By Order G-61-12 dated May 17, 2012, the BCUC approved its Rules for Energy Supply Contracts for Electricity (Rules). The Rules facilitate the BCUC’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 BCUC accepted the Capacity and Energy Purchase and Sale Agreement (CEPSA) between FBC and Powerex. The CEPSA is a master agreement that sets the terms and conditions for future market transactions regarding capacity and energy, entered into by FBC with Powerex;
D. By Order G-117-18 dated June 28, 2018, the BCUC accepted FBC’s 2016 Long Term Electric Resource Plan (2016 LTERP) up to and including 2024. In the order, the BCUC also directed that the next LTERP should be developed and filed no later than December 1, 2021;
E. By Letter L-28-19 dated June 6, 2019, the BCUC accepted FBC’s Annual Electric Contracting Plan, for the period from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 (2019/20 AECP);
F. In the Application, the Agreements for the purchase of wholesale market energy for the first and fourth quarters of 2020, and the first quarter of 2021 were made pursuant to the CEPSA;
G. FBC requests that the information in the Application and the Agreements be kept confidential due to their commercially sensitive nature. FBC provided notice of its filing and redacted versions of the Agreements to interveners to the FBC Annual Review for 2019 Rates proceeding on August 23, 2019;
H. On September 10, 2019, the BCUC issued confidential BCUC staff questions to FBC. FBC provided its response to confidential BCUC staff questions on September 24, 2019; and
I. The BCUC has considered the Application and is satisfied that the Agreements are in the public interest and consistent with FBC’s 2019/20 AECP, as well as FBC’s 2016 LTERP up to and including 2024.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 71 of the UCA, the BCUC accepts the agreements executed between FBC and Powerex as filed in the Application. The BCUC orders that the Application and the Agreements be kept as confidential due to their commercially sensitive nature.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 24th day of October 2019.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner