Orders

 

ORDER NUMBER

G-180-23

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd.

2023–2024 Revenue Requirements Application

for the Fort St. John/Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge Divisions

 

BEFORE:

T. A. Loski, Commissioner

 

on July 10, 2023

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On November 30, 2022, Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd. (PNG(NE)) filed its 2023–2024 Revenue Requirements Application (RRA) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for its Fort St. John/Dawson Creek (FSJ/DC) and Tumbler Ridge (TR) divisions pursuant to sections 58 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act;

B.      By Order G-373-22, the BCUC, among other things, approved PNG(NE)'s basic charges, delivery rates and Revenue Stabilization Adjustment Mechanism (RSAM) rate rider on an interim and refundable/recoverable basis, effective January 1, 2023, and established a regulatory timetable for the proceeding, subsequently amended by Order G-83-23. The timetable included intervener registration, filing an amended application, two rounds of information requests (IRs) to PNG(NE), responses to IRs, written final argument and reply argument;

C.      British Columbia Old Age Pensioner’s Organization, Active Support Against Poverty, Council of Senior Citizen’s Organizations of BC, Disability Alliance BC, and Tenant Resource and Advisory Center, known collectively as BCOAPO et al. (BCOAPO) and Residential Consumer Intervener Association (RCIA) registered as interveners in the proceeding, and both parties have participated to date;

D.      On February 28, 2023, PNG(NE) filed its amended application for approval of 2023 and 2024 delivery rates on a permanent basis and on April 17 and 26, 2023, BCUC and interveners, respectively, issued IR No. 1 to PNG(NE);

E.       Simultaneous to the review of this proceeding, the Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. (PNG) 2023–2024 RRA for its West division (PNG-West) is concurrently with the BCUC for review (PNG-West RRA proceeding);

F.       By letter dated May 1, 2023, PNG and PNG(NE) requested that:

1.       The PNG-West RRA proceeding be paused given uncertainty with respect to PNG’s existing Rate Schedule (RS) 80 customer's progress towards obtaining a positive financial investment decision. PNG states that it is currently working with the RS 80 customer to support its anticipated project in-service date while simultaneously working to mitigate risk to PNG and its ratepayers;

2.       An update be filed with the BCUC four weeks from the date of the BCUC order pausing the PNG-West RRA proceeding; and

3.       Given linkages and cost allocations between the PNG-West division and the PNG(NE) divisions, the regulatory timetable for the review of the PNG(NE) RRA also be paused following the submission of PNG(NE)’s responses to BCUC and Intervener IR No. 1 on May 12, 2023, as a potential material change to the PNG-West RRA would have material impacts to the PNG(NE) RRA;

G.      By Order G-102-23, the BCUC amended the regulatory timetable and directed PNG(NE) to file a recommendation on further process by Wednesday, May 31, 2023;

H.      On May 31, 2023, PNG filed an interim recommendation on further process and proposed that the review of the PNG(NE) 2023–2024 RRA remain paused, along with the PNG-West RRA, to allow PNG to prepare an informed recommendation for the BCUC on further process by June 30, 2023;

I.         By Order G-124-23, the BCUC established a further regulatory timetable and directed PNG(NE) to file a recommendation on further process by Friday, June 30, 2023;

J.        On June 30, 2023, PNG filed its recommendation on further process and a proposed regulatory timetable to complete the review of the Application, including the filing of an evidentiary update by Friday, July 21, 2023; and

K.      The BCUC has reviewed the recommendation on further process and considers that a further regulatory timetable is warranted.

 

 

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               10^th                 day of July 2023.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

T. A. Loski  

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

Pacific Northern Gas (N.E.) Ltd.

2023–2024 Revenue Requirements Application

for the Fort St. John/Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge Divisions