Orders

 

ORDER NUMBER

G-174-21

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation

Complaint Regarding Jet Fuel Line Abandonment of Service

 

BEFORE:

D. M. Morton, Panel Chair

 

on June 3, 2021

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      By letter dated April 30, 2021, PKM Canada (Jet Fuel) Inc. (PKMJF) informed the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) that the company’s approximately 41 kilometer long pipeline used to transport aviation turbine fuel (jet fuel) from the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) (the Jet Fuel Line, or JFL) had been shutdown effective immediately;

 

B.      By letter dated May 14, 2021, PKMJF informed the BCUC of its intention to permanently discontinue service on the JFL;

 

C.       By letter dated May 14, 2021, the Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation (VAFFC) filed a complaint with the BCUC regarding the current abandonment of service of the JFL and PKMJF’s intention to permanently abandon service;

 

D.      By letter dated May 17, 2021, the BCUC requested that PKMJF host recurring Monday/Wednesday/Friday conference calls open to shippers, BCUC staff, and other interested parties to provide updates on the JFL and to answer questions;

 

E.       By Order G-154-21, dated May 20, 2021, PKMJF was directed to continue hosting recurring conference calls with the BCUC, BC Oil and Gas Commission, shippers of JFL and YVR representatives until such time as the BCUC directs otherwise;

 

F.       On May 27, 2021, pursuant to Order G-154-21, PKMJF filed a return to service plan for the JFL (Plan) with the BCUC. In the Plan, PKMJF stated that it is unable to restore service on the JFL by June 19, 2021, as required;

 

G.      By Order G-167-21, dated May 28, 2021, the BCUC established a regulatory timetable for the proceeding, which included, among other things, information request (IR) No. 1 to PKMJF on the Plan;

H.      By letter dated May 31, 2021, VAFFC requested that the BCUC (i) replace the current IR process with a technical workshop; (ii) reduce the frequency of the recurring conference calls hosted by PKMJF to once per week; and (iii) appoint an independent expert inspector pursuant to section 37 of the Utilities Commission Act;

 

I.         By letter dated May 31, 2021, Parkland Refining (B.C.) Ltd. (Parkland) expressed its support for VAFFC’s request;

 

J.        By letter dated June 1, 2021, the BCUC sought a reply submission from PKMJF regarding VAFFC’s request and submissions from all parties regarding a proposed amended regulatory timetable inclusive of an IR process and workshop;

 

K.       By letter dated June 2, 2021, PKMJF supported limiting the recurring conference calls to once per week, objected to VAFFC’s request that the BCUC appoint an independent expert inspector, and requested that the BCUC adopt an alternative regulatory timetable inclusive of an IR process with a workshop to follow, if required;

 

L.       By letters dated June 2, 2021, Parkland and VAFFC wrote in support of the amended regulatory timetable proposed by the BCUC and requested that the BCUC direct PKMJF to file forthwith the following documents referenced in the Plan (together the Return to Service Reports) and to provide a copy of the same to those parties who have filed Confidentiality Declaration and Undertaking forms in PKMJF’s 2019 Tariff Filing Application proceeding[1] or in this proceeding:

•         Engineering Assessment performed by IRISNDT;

•         Dent Strain Assessment performed by T.D. Williamson Canada ULC;

•         Dent Fatigue Life Assessment performed by BMT Canada Ltd.; and

•         Axial Crack In-Line Inspection Assessment performed by DNV Canada Ltd.;

 

M.    The Panel has reviewed Parkland’s and VAFFC’s June 2, 2021 submissions and considers filing of the Return to Service Reports to be necessary to permit an effective review of the Plan; and

 

N.      The Panel has reviewed VAFFC’s, Parkland’s, and PKMJF’s May 31, 2021 and June 2, 2021 submissions and considers that holding a workshop following the submission of IR responses would support a greater understanding of the highly technical information under consideration in this proceeding.

 

 

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

 

1.       The regulatory timetable established by Order G-167-21 is amended, as set out in Appendix A to this order.

2.       PKMJF, VAFFC and registered Interveners are expected to fully participate in the workshop, scheduled for June 11, 2021.

3.       PKMJF is directed to file with the BCUC the Return to Service Reports by no later than 4:00 p.m., June 3, 2021.

4.       PKMJF is directed to provide a copy of the Return to Service Reports to all parties who have filed Confidentiality Declaration and Undertaking forms in this proceeding and in the PKMJF 2019 Tariff proceeding by no later than 4:00 p.m., June 3, 2021.

5.       PKMJF is directed to replace the current Monday/Wednesday/Friday conference calls regarding the JFL with a single conference call to be held weekly on Thursdays and to provide this conference call information to all affected parties.

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this                   3^rd                 day of June 2021.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

D. M. Morton

Commissioner

Vancouver Airport Fuel Facilities Corporation

Complaint Regarding Jet Fuel Line Abandonment of Service

 

REGULATORY TIMETABLE