ORDER NUMBER
G-261-21
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 September 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 (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 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 Order G-154-21, dated May 20, 2021, the BCUC issued Directives 2 and 4, as follows:
2. PKMJF is directed to return the JFL to service, with all necessary safety measures and regulatory approvals in place, as soon as possible, but by no later than 30 days from the issuance of this order unless PKMJF can provide evidence satisfactory to the BCUC that it is unable to do so.
4. PKMJF is directed to continue hosting recurring Monday/Wednesday/Friday conference calls with the BCUC, BCOGC, shippers of JFL and YVR representatives regarding the JFL return to service until such time as the BCUC directs otherwise.
E. By Order G-174-21, dated June 3, 2021, PKMJF was directed to replace the recurring Monday/Wednesday/Friday conference calls established by Directive 4 with a single conference call to be held weekly on Thursdays;
F. The return to service deadline established in Directive 2 was varied and extended by Orders G‑188-21 and G‑233-21, dated June 18, 2021 and July 30, 2021, respectively. The current return to service deadline is September 3, 2021;
G. By letter dated August 23, 2021, PKMJF requested that the recurring Thursday conference calls be moved to bi-weekly, as this would allow PKMJF to more fully devote its resources to return to service work and would be appropriate given the current level of engagement on the calls from participants;
H. By letter dated September 2, 2021, PKMJF requested that the BCUC provide relief from the return to service deadline imposed by Order G-233-21 and reiterated its request that the stakeholder conference calls be moved to a biweekly schedule. In its letter, PKMJF provides reasons and refers to evidence submitted as to why an extension to the deadline to return the JFL to service is required;
I. Execution of the return to service plan by PKMJF is ongoing. PKMJF’s analysis of in-line inspection data for the JFL is currently scheduled to be complete by November 3, 2021; and
J.
The BCUC has reviewed the evidence and submissions
filed to date and is satisfied that an extension to return the JFL to service
is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The return to service deadline in Directive 2 of Order G-154-21 and varied by Orders G-188-21 and G-233-21 is varied further and extended until November 8, 2021.
2. PKMJF is directed to replace the current weekly Thursday conference calls with a conference call to be held biweekly (i.e., every two weeks) on Thursday and to provide this conference call information to all affected parties.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 3rd day of September 2021.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
D. M. Morton
Commissioner