ORDER NUMBER
G-69-20
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Transmission Service Rate Customer Baseline Loads
F2019 and F2020 and Amendments to Tariff Supplement No. 74 Application
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Commissioner
on March 27, 2020
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On January 10, 2020, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), pursuant to sections 58 to 61, 89 and 90 of the Utilities Commission Act and section 15 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, the Transmission Service Rate (TSR) Customer Baseline Load (CBL) F2019 and F2020 and Amendments to Tariff Supplement No. 74 Application (TS 74) (together, the Application);
B. In the Application, BC Hydro seeks the following BCUC approvals:
i. On a final and permanent basis, the “Final Adjusted F2019 CBL for Final Approval” column contained in Appendix A of the Application, effective April 1, 2018;
ii. On an interim basis, the “Interim F2020 CBL for Interim Approval” column contained in Appendix A of the Application, effective April 1, 2019;
iii. On a final and permanent basis, the placement of specific customers on Rate Schedule (RS) 1823A as contained in Appendix A of the Application, effective April 1, 2018; and
iv. On an interim basis, the placement of specific customers on RS1823A as contained in Appendix A of the Application, effective April 1, 2019
v. Amendments to Tariff Supplement No. 74, which include new provisions incorporating prior BCUC approved CBL adjustments, new adjustments and house-keeping revisions;
C. By Order G-55-19 dated March 14, 2019, the BCUC approved the F2019 Interim CBLs and the placement of specified customers on RS 1823A, both effective April 1, 2018, on an interim basis until further application;
D. By Order G-98-18A dated May 25, 2019, the BCUC approved proposed amendments by BC Hydro to TS 74;
E. In the Application, BC Hydro states that pursuant to Section 6.2.1 of the TS 74 CBL Determination Guidelines (Guidelines) all CBL determinations reflected in the Application were submitted to the TSR customer (Customer) for review and comment prior to filing the Application;
F. In the Application, BC Hydro states that it undertook extensive consultation with TSR customers and the AMPC on the proposed changes to TS 74;
G. Pursuant to the Guidelines, all CBLs and any decision to put a customer on Rate Schedule 1823A are subject to final approval by the BCUC;
H. By Order G-28-20 dated February 21, 2020, the BCUC established a written comment process and a regulatory timetable for the review of the Application. The BCUC directed BC Hydro to provide notice of the Application to its TSR customers and stakeholders, inviting them to submit letters of comment on the Application on or before, March 6, 2020;
I. On February 25, 2020, Longo Development Corporation (LDC) filed a Letter of Comment with the BCUC indicating that it had been in dispute with BC Hydro with respect to its F2020 Interim CBL;
J. BC Hydro requests that Appendices A, B, C and D of the Application and the associated customer information be held in confidence as they contain commercially sensitive information;
K. The BCUC has reviewed the letter of comment made by LDC in this proceeding and finds that due to the commercially sensitive and customer specific nature of the information involved, and for the purposes of regulatory efficiency, the dispute should be addressed using the BCUC complaints process; and
L. The BCUC has reviewed the Application and considers that approval is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to sections 58 to 61, 89 and 90 of the Utilities Commission Act, the British Columbia Utilities Commission orders as follows:
1. The Final Adjusted F2019 Customer Baseline Loads (CBLs), effective April 1, 2018, in the column identified as “Final Adjusted F2019 CBL for Final Approval” and the placement of specified customers on Rate Schedule 1823 Energy Charge A (RS 1823A) in F2019 contained in Appendix A of the Application, are approved on a final and permanent basis.
2. The F2020 Interim CBLs, effective April 1, 2019, in the column identified as “Interim F2020 CBL for Interim Approval” and the placement of specified customers on RS 1823A in F2020 contained in Appendix A of the Application, are approved on an interim basis until further application.
3. The proposed amendments to the BC Hydro Tariff Supplement No. 74 CBL Determination Guidelines, as filed with the BCUC on March 26, 2020, are approved effective April 1, 2019.
4. BC Hydro must send a copy of the approved TS No. 74 to all TSR customers within 30 days of the date of this order.
5. The BCUC will hold confidential the information in Appendices A, B, C and D of the Application and the associated customer information as they contain commercially sensitive information.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 27th day of March 2020.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner