Orders

 

ORDER NUMBER

G-103-22

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Stage 2 Comprehensive Review and Application for Approval of a Revised Renewable Gas Program

 

BEFORE:

D. M. Morton, Panel Chair

D. A. Cote, Commissioner

R. I. Mason, Commissioner

 

on April 14, 2022

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On December 17, 2021, in accordance with British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) Orders G-35-21 and G-242-21, FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI) filed its Stage 2 Comprehensive Review and Application for Approval of a Revised Renewable Gas Program (Application);

B.      By Order G-133-16 and accompanying decision dated August 12, 2016, the BCUC approved the FEI Biomethane Energy Recovery Charge (BERC) Rate Methodology Application and directed FEI to file an assessment report. The BERC is the rate that FEI charges for biomethane, also referred to as renewable natural gas (RNG), purchased on a voluntary basis by customers on the FEI system;

C.      On August 12, 2020, in accordance with BCUC Order G-133-16, FEI submitted the BERC Assessment Report;

D.      By Order G-35-21, dated January 29, 2021, the BCUC established a two-stage review process for the review of the BERC Rate Methodology Assessment Report as follows:

1.       Stage 1 – Review of FEI’s BERC Rate Assessment Report as a compliance filing;

2.       Stage 2 – FEI’s Comprehensive RNG Program Review including, but not limited to the items identified in the BCUC’s preliminary scope list as identified in Order G-292-20;

E.       By Order G-242-21 and accompanying decision dated August 12, 2021, the BCUC accepted FEI’s BERC Rate Assessment Report;

F.       By Order G-3-22 and amended by BCUC letter dated February 18, 2022, the BCUC established a regulatory timetable for the Stage 2 Review, including the filing deadline for FEI responses to information request (IR) No. 1 of April 19, 2022. By letter dated March 17, 2022, the BCUC established the date of the procedural conference to be held on April 29, 2022 and provided information regarding registration and format;

G.      By letter dated April 5, 2022, FEI filed an extension request for its IR No. 1 responses and to reschedule the procedural conference due to resource constraints. FEI proposes to file its IR No. 1 responses by May 16, 2022, and to reschedule the procedural conference to a date during the week of May 30, 2022;

H.      By letter dated April 7, 2022, BCUC invited interveners to provide submissions, if any, on FEI’s proposed amendment to the regulatory timetable;

I.         By the April 12 response deadline, the BCUC received submissions from five interveners, none of whom expressed objections to FEI’s proposal; and

J.        The BCUC has reviewed FEI’s extension request and the submissions received and determines that an amendment to the regulatory timetable is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

 

1.       An amended regulatory timetable for the review of the Application is established, attached as Appendix A to this order.

 

2.       Details regarding the procedural conference will be provided in due course.

 

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

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

D. M. Morton

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Stage 2 Comprehensive Review and Application for Approval of a Revised Renewable Gas Program