Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-31-22

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Hemlock Utility Services Ltd.

Investigation into the Safety and Reliability of Hemlock Utility Services

 

BEFORE:

C. M. Brewer, Panel Chair

A. K. Fung, QC, Commissioner

E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner

 

on February 14, 2022

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On December 14, 2020, Hemlock Utility Services Ltd. (Hemlock) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) an application to revise Section 19 (Liability of the Company re: Service) of its Electric Tariff Terms and Conditions. Hemlock proposed to include further liability provisions with respect to its supply of electricity to customers (Application);

B.      By Order G-153-21 dated May 21, 2021, the BCUC approved, among other things, Hemlock’s Application to include further liability provisions with respect to its supply of electricity to its customers;

C.      In the accompanying Reasons for Decision to Order G-153-21, the Panel identified a number of operational concerns including, but not limited to, issues related to the safety and reliability of the Hemlock system. The Panel recommended that the BCUC initiate a separate proceeding to conduct a fulsome review of the safety and reliability of Hemlock’s electrical distribution system;

D.      By Order G-201-21 dated June 30, 2021, the BCUC ordered a hearing to review the safety and reliability of Hemlock’s electrical distribution system and system assets and customer service-related issues and established a regulatory timetable for the investigation (Proceeding), which included public notice, Letters of Comment, BCUC scoping questions, Intervener registration and Hemlock’s responses to Letters of Comment, with further process to be determined;

E.       On July 30, 2021, Hemlock provided its written response to BCUC scoping questions;

F.       On August 4, 2021, the Residential Consumer Intervener Association (RCIA) registered as an intervener in the Proceeding;

G.      On August 10, 2021, by Order G-239-21, the BCUC amended the regulatory timetable to include, among other things, BCUC and intervener information requests (IRs) and directed Hemlock to provide public notice of the order and amended regulatory timetable to its utility customers as an enclosure to their next billing statements;

H.      On August 24, 2021, the BCUC issued IR No. 1 to Hemlock, and on September 2, 2021, RCIA submitted
IR No. 1 to Hemlock;

I.         By Order G-276-21 dated September 21, 2021, the BCUC amended the regulatory timetable to provide Hemlock with additional time to respond to IR No. 1 and extended the deadline to provide Letters of Comment;

J.        On October 1, 2021, Hemlock provided its response to RCIA IR No. 1 and BCUC IR No. 1, and on October 15, 2021, Hemlock provided supplemental responses to BCUC IR No. 1;

K.       On December 7, 2021, by Order G-361-21, the BCUC amended the regulatory timetable and established a workshop to receive submissions from Hemlock;

L.       At the workshop held on January 13, 2022, Hemlock and RCIA made further submissions;

M.    By January 27, 2022, pursuant to Order G-361-21, the BCUC had received seventeen Letters of Comment from Hemlock ratepayers, including several addressing evidence presented by Hemlock at the workshop;

N.      On February 7, 2022, Hemlock submitted that they will not be filing Final Argument;

O.      On February 10, 2022, RCIA filed a letter requesting an extension to file their Final Argument (Extension Request); and

P.       After reviewing the Extension Request and the evidentiary record to date, the Panel determines that an extension should be granted. The Panel also determines that given the evidence presented at the workshop and the subsequent Letters of Comment filed by Hemlock ratepayers, an amendment to the regulatory timetable and further regulatory process is warranted.   

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders the regulatory timetable established by Order G-12-22 is amended as set out in Appendix A to this order.

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this             14^th              day of February 2022.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

C. M. Brewer

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

Hemlock Utility Services Ltd.

Investigation into the Safety and Reliability of Hemlock Utility Services