Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-15-23

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. and Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd.

2023-2024 Energy Conservation and Innovation Portfolio Funding

 

BEFORE:

E. B. Lockhart, Panel Chair

C. M. Brewer, Commissioner

B. A. Magnan, Commissioner

 

 

On January 24, 2023

 

ORDER

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On August 12, 2022, Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. and Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd. (collectively, PNG) submitted its Application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for Energy Conservation and Innovation (ECI) Portfolio Funding for 2023-2024 (Application), pursuant to section 44.2(3) of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA);

B.      PNG seeks acceptance of ECI total expenditures of $3,810,452;

C.      PNG also seeks the following approvals: 

1.       Flexibility in the reallocation of expenditures amongst Demand Side Management (DSM) programs and between program years, subject to the total amount spent by PNG on DSM activities between the date of approval and December 31, 2024 not exceeding the total amount of $3,810,452 sought in this Application, unless otherwise approved by the BCUC, consistent with funding transfer rules as approved under Order G-265-20;

2.       To record all DSM expenditures in a rate base regulatory asset deferral account that includes all expenditures as set out in Table 1 of the Application; and

3.       To change the amortization period from five years to ten years for DSM expenditures approved by BCUC Order G-265-20.

D.      By Order G-318-22-A, the BCUC established a regulatory timetable for the review of the Application, which included one round of information requests (IRs) to PNG from the BCUC and interveners;

E.       On December 22, 2022, PNG filed responses to BCUC and interveners IRs; and

F.       The BCUC determines a further regulatory timetable be established.

 

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC establishes a further regulatory timetable, as set out in Appendix A to this order.

                                                                        

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this          24^th         day of January.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

E.B. Lockhart

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

 

Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. and Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd.

2023-2024 Energy Conservation and Innovation Portfolio Funding

 

 

 

 

*Without limiting the scope of parties’ final argument, the BCUC invites all parties to include submissions on whether to consider hydrogen-natural gas blending as “energy conservation or efficient use of energy” for the purposes of meeting paragraph (e) of the definition of "specified demand-side measure" in the Demand-Side Measures Regulation.[1]