Orders

ORDER NUMBER

F-31-20

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

Sustainable Services Ltd.

Stream A Registration for the Westhills Thermal Energy System

Participant Assistance/Cost Award Application

BEFORE:

D. M. Morton, Panel Chair

B. A. Magnan, Commissioner

R. D. Revel, Commissioner

on August 26, 2020

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On September 4, 2018, Sustainable Services Ltd. (SSL) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) an application to register the Westhills Thermal Energy System (Westhills TES) as a Stream A TES in accordance with the BCUC Thermal Energy Systems Regulatory Framework Guidelines (TES Guidelines) (Application);

B.      The Westhills TES serves 409 single-family homes, 4 town home strata customers with a combined total of 32 units, and a condo strata with 68 units. The Westhills TES is split across three phases of development, Lakeview Ridge, Glenvale and Paradise Falls;

C.      Three rounds of BCUC staff questions were issued to SSL on October 4, 2018, April 9 and June 11, 2019. SSL provided responses to staff questions between February 4 and July 5, 2019;

D.      By Order G-318-19, dated December 9, 2019, the BCUC established a written hearing and a regulatory timetable to review the Application. The regulatory process included intervener registration, two rounds of information requests, final arguments from the parties and reply argument from SSL.

E.       British Columbia Old Age Pensioners’ Organization, Active Support Against Poverty, Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC, Disability Alliance BC, Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, and Together Against Poverty Society (BCOAPO) registered as an intervener in the proceeding;

F.       On August 12, 2020, by Order G-213-20, the Westhills TES serving Lakeview Ridge and Glenvale was found to be a Stream A TES and is exempt from sections 44.1, 45 and 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA). The Westhills TES extension serving Paradise Falls was found to be a Stream B TES and pursuant to sections 45 and 46 of the UCA, the BCUC granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity to SSL for the Paradise Falls TES.

G.     The following participant filed a Participant Assistance/Cost Award (PACA) application with the BCUC with respect to their participation in the proceeding:

H.      By letter dated July 14, 2020, SSL provided its comments on the PACA application, submitting that the participation of BCOAPO was not necessary and the questions asked and information provided did not add anything to the proceeding that was not available to the BCUC in the face of the TES Guidelines and SSL’s Application. SSL submits that BCOAPO’s PACA application should be denied;

I.        By letter dated July 21, 2020, BCOAPO provided its response to SSL’s comments on the PACA application stating that it took all reasonable steps to ensure it added value to the process and the BCUC’s understanding of the concerns of residential ratepayers. BCOAPO submits that SSL did not raise any valid objections and requests that the BCUC proceed with its own assessment of BCOAPO’s contribution to the proceeding; and

J.        The BCUC has reviewed the PACA application in accordance with the criteria and rates set out in the PACA Guidelines, attached to BCUC Order G-97-17, and concludes that the cost award should be approved.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 118(1) of the UCA, the BCUC orders as follows:

1.       Funding is awarded to the following intervener in the listed amounts for their participation in the Stream A Registration for the Westhills TES proceeding:

2.       SSL is directed to reimburse the above-noted participant for the awarded amount in a timely manner.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this              26th              day of August 2020.

BY ORDER

Original Signed By:

D. M. Morton

Commissioner