Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-175-20

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

Creative Energy Vancouver Platforms Inc.

COVID-19 Deferral Account Application

BEFORE:

A. K. Fung, QC, Panel Chair

E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner

on June 30, 2020

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On May 29, 2020, Creative Energy Vancouver Platforms Inc. (Creative Energy) filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) requesting approval, pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), of the following for each of its Core Steam (Core) and Northeast False Creek (NEFC) systems (Application);

(i)                  Waive the application of the Core Steam tariff (at section 5) and of the NEFC Customer Service Agreement (at section 12) in respect to the charging of the late payment charge on amounts invoiced for February 2020 through July 2020;

(ii)                Establish a COVID-19 deferral account (COVID-19 Deferral Account) for the Core system, bearing interest monthly at Creative Energy’s weighted average cost of debt, and to record to this account:

a.       Any incremental expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic that Creative Energy has incurred related to continuing safe and reliable operations, including any incremental financing costs;

b.      Any unrecoverable revenues (bad debt) resulting from customers that do not pay their bills due to the impacts of COVID-19 on their financial circumstances; and

c.       Any direct revenue loss resulting from the loss of load from customers due to the impacts of COVID-19 on their operational and financial circumstances;

(iii)               Establish a COVID-19 Deferral Account for the NEFC system, bearing interest monthly at Creative Energy’s weighted average cost of debt, and to record to this account:

a.       Any unrecoverable revenues (bad debt) resulting from customers that do not pay their bills due the impacts of COVID-19 on their financial circumstances;

B.      Creative Energy requested that the BCUC approve the Application on an interim basis without notice pursuant to section 91 of the UCA, with any process for review and approval of the Application on a final basis to follow;

C.      On June 4, 2020, the BCUC issued information requests (IR) to Creative Energy regarding the Application and Creative Energy filed its responses on June 10, 2020;

D.      On June 12, 2020, by Order G-151-20, the BCUC granted interim approval and established a public hearing process for the review of the Application, which included intervener registration and requested that interveners advise the BCUC of their intent to submit written IRs on the Application by June 26, 2020; and

E.       On June 25, 2020, the Commercial Energy Consumers Association of British Columbia (CEC) filed a submission requesting intervener registration and provided notice of intent to file IRs; and

F.       The BCUC finds that establishing a further regulatory timetable is warranted.  

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

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this                    30^th              day of June 2020.

BY ORDER

Original signed by:

A. K. Fung, QC

Commissioner

Attachment

Creative Energy Vancouver Platforms Inc.

COVID-19 Deferral Account Application