Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-254-20

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

FortisBC Inc.

Application for Approval of Rate Design and Rates

for Electric Vehicle Direct Current Fast Charging Service

 

BEFORE:

D. M. Morton, Panel Chair/Commissioner

A. K. Fung, QC, Commissioner

 

on October 13, 2020

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On December 22, 2017, FortisBC Inc. (FBC) submitted an application (Original Application) to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for Approval of Rate Design and Rates for Electric Vehicle (EV) Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) Service and Tariff Rate Schedule 96 (RS 96) pursuant to sections 59 to 61 and 90 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA);

B.      By Order G-9-18 dated January 12, 2018, the BCUC:

                     i.      approved a time-based rate of $9.00 per 30-minute period for EV charging at FBC owned DCFC stations, as set out in RS 96, on an interim basis, effective January 12, 2018;

                   ii.      directed FBC to separately track and account for all costs associated with the EV DCFC stations and exclude all such costs from its utility rate base until the BCUC directs otherwise; and

                 iii.      adjourned the review of the Original Application until further notice.

C.      By Order G-10-18 dated January 12, 2018, the BCUC established an inquiry (Inquiry) into the regulation of EV charging service in British Columbia. The Inquiry was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 examined the EV charging service market in general and provided recommendations for the appropriate degree of regulation of entities that are not otherwise public utilities. Phase 2 focused on the regulatory framework for existing public utilities (e.g. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority and FBC), which were referred to as
“non-exempt public utilities”;

D.      By Order in Council No. 339 (OIC 339/20), as approved and issued on June 22, 2020, the Lieutenant Governor in Council amended the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Clean Energy) Regulation (GGRR) to add Section 5 regarding prescribed undertaking – electric vehicle charging stations;

E.       On June 30, 2020, FBC filed a letter with the BCUC indicating that it expects to restart the regulatory review process with the filing of an evidentiary update to the Original Application on or before September 30, 2020;

F.       By Orders G-183-20 dated July 10, 2020 and G-223-20 dated August 28, 2020, the BCUC established a regulatory timetable, which includes dates for intervener registration, FBC’s evidentiary update, public notice, and one round of written information requests (IR) with future process to be determined;

G.      On September 30, 2020, FBC filed a revised and updated application (Revised Application), seeking BCUC approval of the following:

                     i.      final approval of RS 96 – Electric Vehicle Charging, which includes a $0.27 per minute EV charging rate for service at FBC-owned DCFC 50 kW stations and a $0.54 per minute EV charging rate for service at FBC-owned DCFC 100 kW stations;

                   ii.      approval that RS 96 shall not be subject to general rate increases, unless otherwise directed by the BCUC;

                 iii.      approval for FBC’s proposed straight line 10 percent depreciation rate for FBC-owned EV DCFC stations; and

                 iv.      approval to include the assets associated with the EV DCFC stations, and related revenues and expenses, in FBC’s regulated accounts.

H.      In the Revised Application, FBC requests to withdraw the Original Application as there have been significant regulatory and factual developments since December 2017. FBC also proposes to amend the regulatory timetable established by Order G-223-20 to modify IR No. 1 dates and set the remainder of the regulatory timetable with written final arguments following IR No. 1; and

I.         The Panel has reviewed FBC’s requests to withdraw the Original Application and its proposal regarding the regulatory timetable and considers that amending the regulatory timetable is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

 

1.       FBC’s request to withdraw the approvals sought in the Original Application is accepted. The proceeding will review the approvals sought contained in the Revised Application. Certain items directed under Order G-9-18 from the Original Application, including the existing interim rate and the treatment of costs and revenues related to FBC’s EV DCFC stations, remain outstanding and must be addressed in this proceeding. As such, the Original Application and associated documents will remain in the proceeding’s evidentiary record.

2.       The review of the Revised Application will proceed according to the amended regulatory timetable established in Appendix A attached to this order. The amended regulatory timetable modifies the dates for the IR No. 1 process. Further process will be determined pending consideration of the evidentiary record after FBC’s responses to IR No. 1.

3.       Parties who wish to participate as an intervener in this regulatory proceeding must register with the BCUC by completing a Request to Intervene Form, available on the BCUC’s website at http://www.bcuc.com/forms/request-to-intervene.aspx, by the date established in the regulatory timetable attached as Appendix A to this order. Parties requesting intervener status are to specifically state the nature of their interest in the Application and identify the issues that they intend to pursue and the extent of their anticipated involvement in the proceeding.

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this                  13^th          day of October 2020.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

D. M. Morton

Commissioner

 

Attachments

 

FortisBC Inc.

Application for Approval of Rate Design and Rates

for Electric Vehicle Direct Current Fast Charging Service