Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-340-19

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Complaint filed by Cascadia Energy Ltd., Direct Energy Marketing Ltd and Access Gas Services Inc.

BEFORE:

B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair

T. A. Loski, Commissioner

on December 20, 2019

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On September 4, 2019, Cascadia Energy Ltd. (Cascadia), Direct Energy Marketing Limited (Direct), and Access Gas Services Inc. (Access) (collectively BCGMC) filed a complaint with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) (Complaint). BCGMC requested that the BCUC inquire into FortisBC's Energy Inc.’s (FEI) administration of Rate Schedules 22, 23, 25 and 27 related to transportation customer service;

B.      In the Complaint, BCGMC outlines the issues as follows:

1.       The nature and adequacy of the information that FEI provides to enable transportation customers to comply with the transportation service gas balancing and tolerance rules.

2.       Measures necessary to assure timely access to customer consumption data.

3.       Potential adjustments to the balancing rules to allow for inter-customer group balancing.

4.       Review of FEI’s practices related to decisions to curtail, the timing of curtailment and return of gas, and the associated charges, and offering competitive service to transportation customers served by gas marketers.

5.       The need for an FEI code of conduct for its gas marketing activities to establish a competitive market and level playing field for all participants;

C.      BCUC staff reviewed the Complaint according to the BCUC’s Customer Complaints Guide and on October 11, 2019 sought a response from FEI. Following that, BCGMC was provided an opportunity to review FEI’s response and provide further comments.

D.      The BCUC has reviewed the correspondence and finds that further process is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC establishes a regulatory timetable for the review of the Complaint as set out in Appendix A to this order.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this    20^th    day of December 2019.

BY ORDER

Original signed by:

B. A. Magnan

Commissioner

Attachment

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Complaint filed by Cascadia Energy Ltd., Direct Energy Marketing Ltd and Access Gas Services Inc.