ORDER NUMBER
G-50-20
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Kyuquot Power Ltd.
Complaint filed by S.R.
BEFORE:
D. Morton, Commissioner
C.A. Brewer, Commissioner
T. Loski, Commissioner
on March 15, 2020
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. By email dated February 13, 2020, a Kyuquot Power Ltd. (KPL) customer representative (S.R.) filed a complaint with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) concerning, amongst other things, a safety matter regarding KPL (Complaint);
B. The KPL power distribution system (KPL System) is interconnected to the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) electric system and supplies customers, including the Ka:yu:'k't'h' / Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nations (KCFN), the Village of Houpsitas and other customers on the outer coast of Kyuquot Sound, with electricity;
C. In the Complaint, S.R. stated that the KPL System has a history of unreliable service and several deferred maintenance items on the distribution line warranted a safety concern. The Complaint was brought forward to the BCUC and KCFN;
D. On February 14, 2020, the BCUC contacted KPL regarding the Complaint and subsequently requested KPL to provide a written response to the Complaint regarding the status of the safety matter;
E. On February 21, 2020, KPL responded, indicating that all but one deficient item had been corrected. KPL submitted that the single remaining deficient item would be corrected within 30 days as permitted by Technical Safety British Columbia;
F. On March 8, 10, 11, and 12, 2020, S.R. contacted the BCUC regarding ongoing power outages of the KPL System; and
G. The BCUC has reviewed the various correspondence and supporting material in relation to the Complaint and determines that further process is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 83 of the Utilities Commission Act, the BCUC orders that KPL provide information as follows:
1. KPL is directed to provide the BCUC with a daily update via email on status of the KPL System, including its operational status, work performed on the KPL system that day and work planned for the following day. The first daily update will be made on March 16, 2020 and will continue for 15 days following the date of the first filing.
2. Within 7 days of issuance of this Order, KPL is directed to provide the BCUC a copy of up to date record drawings detailing the KPL System, including a scaled site plan, ownership of assets, land title, rights of ways, protective devices and points of interconnect.
3. Within 7 days of issuance of this Order, KPL is directed to provide the BCUC a copy of all outage logs of the KPL System for the past two months. Logs should include details of the time of outage, the time the KPL System was restored and the cause of the outage.
4. Within 7 days of issuance of this Order, KPL is directed to confirm that the required documentation and fees have been submitted to BC Hydro to initiate a Primary Service Alteration Application and to provide the BCUC with an update on the status of this application based on correspondence received from BC Hydro. KPL is directed to notify the BCUC when the Primary Service Alteration Application process with BC Hydro is complete and a new Electric Service Agreement is in place.
5. Within 7 days of issuance of this Order, KPL is directed to provide the BCUC with its KPL System stabilization plan (Plan). That document shall include:
a. A high-level technical assessment of the current KPL system by a qualified professional engineer;
b. Identified areas of risk to maintaining the KPL System in a stable, operational state for the next 3 months;
c. Action items to address the risks identified in Directive 5(b);
d. A proposed strategy to form a working group with impacted ratepayers, to develop a long-term plan to achieve stability of the KPL System; and
e. A proposed time frame to complete a full safety and condition assessment report (Assessment Report) of the KPL System by a qualified professional engineer. That Assessment Report shall identify any safety hazards or maintenance concerns on all portions of KPL’s distribution line, including submarine cables. It shall also include a recommended maintenance plan for future routine maintenance of the KPL System.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 15th day of March 2020.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
D. Morton
Commissioner