Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-70-23

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

FortisBC Inc.

Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
for the A.S. Mawdsley Terminal Station Project

BEFORE:

T. A. Loski, Panel Chair

W. M. Everett, KC, Commissioner

A. C. Dennier, Commissioner

on March 30, 2023

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On February 24, 2023, pursuant to sections 45 and 46 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), FortisBC Inc. (FBC) filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the A.S. Mawdsley (ASM) Terminal Station Project (Project) (Application);

B.       The Project includes installation of two new 150 MVA 63/161 kV transformers with the required site footprint expansion and other alterations at the Warfield Terminal Station (WTS) and the subsequent decommissioning of the ASM Terminal Station. Both the ASM Terminal Station and the WTS are located in Trail, BC;

C.       FBC requests that the following information contained in the Application be held confidential, pursuant to
Section 19 of the BCUC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure:

                              (i)            Engineering documents filed as Appendix A and Appendix F, which are stated to contain operationally sensitive information pertaining to FBC’s assets. Confidentiality is requested on the basis that public disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in harm to the safety of the public, FBC’s employees, and the assets themselves; and

                             (ii)            Cost estimates and financial schedules filed as Appendices G-1, G-2, and H, which are stated to contain the costs of the various and specific Project components. Confidentiality is requested on the basis that FBC intends to contract the majority of the construction for the Project and providing potential bidders with this information could reasonably be expected to prejudice FBC’s negotiating position when procuring contracts and could result in higher costs for the Project.

D.      The BCUC has commenced review of the Application and determines that establishment of a written public hearing process is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

1.         A written public hearing is established for the review of the Application in accordance with the regulatory timetable as set out in Appendix A to this order.

2.       FBC is directed to provide a copy of the Application and this order, electronically where possible, on or before Friday, April 21, 2023, to all known affected or potentially affected parties, including, but not limited to:

a.       All registered interveners in the FBC Annual Review for 2023 Delivery Rates proceeding;

b.       All stakeholders identified in the Application;

c.        All municipalities and regional districts located within the Boundary and Similkameen areas that are within FBC’s service territory; and

d.       All Indigenous groups identified in the Application.

3.       FBC is directed to make the Application and this order available on its website at www.fortisbc.com

4.       FBC is directed to publish the Public Notice in Appendix B to this order on all of its current social media platforms, on or before Friday, April 21, 2023. Weekly reminder posts that include the Public Notice must be published on each of these platforms until the conclusion of the intervener registration period on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

5.       FBC is directed to provide to the BCUC, by Wednesday, April 26, 2023, confirmation of when the Public Notice has been posted, including a list of the publications and platforms in which the Public Notice was posted.

6.       FBC is directed to provide to the BCUC, by Wednesday, April 26, 2023, a list of all parties directly notified of the Application and this order, including the method and date of notification.

7.       Appendices A, F, G-1, G-2 and H attached to the Application will be held confidential unless determined otherwise by the BCUC.

8.       In accordance with the BCUC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, parties who wish to actively participate in this proceeding must submit the Request to Intervene Form, available on the BCUC’s website at https://www.bcuc.com/GetInvolved/GetInvolvedProceeding, by Thursday, May 4, 2023, as established in the regulatory timetable.. Parties may also submit letters of comment by completing a Letter of Comment Form, available on the BCUC’s website.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this           30^th        day of March 2023.

BY ORDER

Original singed by:

T. A. Loski

Commissioner

Attachment

Fortis BC Inc.

Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
for the A.S. Mawdsley Terminal Station Project

FORTISBC INC. APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY FOR THE A.S. MAWDSLEY TERMINAL STATION PROJECT

On February 24, 2023, FortisBC Inc. (FBC) applied (Application) to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the A.S. Mawdsley (ASM) Terminal Station Project (Project)

The Application seeks approval to replace the ASM Terminal Station by expanding the Warfield Terminal Station (WTS). The Project includes the installation of two new 150 MVA 63/161 kV transformers, associated substation alterations at WTS and the decommissioning and demolition of the existing ASM Terminal Station. Both the ASM Terminal Station and the WTS are located in Trail, BC. The Project has an estimated capital cost of approximately $35.179 million with a forecasted in-service date by end of 2026.

For more information about FBC’s Application, please visit the Proceeding Webpage on bcuc.com under
“Our Work – Proceedings.” To learn more about getting involved, please visit our website at www.bcuc.com/get-involved or contact us at the information below.