Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-190-23

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Nelson Hydro

2023 Revenue Requirement Application

 

BEFORE:

E.B. Lockhart, Panel Chair

A.C. Dennier, Commissioner

T.A. Loski, Commissioner

 

on July 19, 2023

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On October 28, 2022, Nelson Hydro filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), seeking approval of a general annual rate increase of 9.87 percent for the Rural service area, effective on January 1, 2023, pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) (Application);

B.      Nelson Hydro is owned and operated by the City of Nelson and is excluded from regulation under the UCA to the extent it is serving customers within its municipal boundaries. Accordingly, the BCUC’s review of the Application pertains solely to Nelson Hydro’s non-municipal, or rural, ratepayers;

C.      By Order G-332-22A, the BCUC approved the 9.87 percent general rate increase on an interim, refundable and recoverable basis, effective January 1, 2023;

D.      Nelson Hydro also requests approval to establish the following deferral accounts:

                     i.            A revenue variance deferral account to record additional revenues that Nelson Hydro may be entitled to between January 1, 2023 and the BCUC’s decision on Nelson Hydro’s Application for Reconsideration and Variance of Order G-196-22 and any surplus or deficit in revenue that might result from the BCUC's final decision on the Application and the interim rate increase approved in Order No. G-332-22A, effective January 1, 2023.

                   ii.            A storm regulatory deferral account to smooth out the budgetary impact of major storms and other emergency outage response events, such as wildfires.

E.       Nelson Hydro submits that the proposed percentage rate increase is based on the utility’s 2023 budget figures used in a Cost of Service Analysis that was approved in Order G-196-22 and seeks to transition to providing information focused on the Rural portion of the utility rather than the utility as a whole;

F.       By Order G-332-22A, G-61-23, and G-185-23 the BCUC established the regulatory timetable for the review of the Application, which included intervener registration, two rounds of BCUC and intervener information requests (IRs), submissions on intervener collaboration, one round of Panel IRs, letters of comment and Nelson Hydro’s reply comments, Nelson Hydro and intervener final written arguments, and Nelson Hydro’s reply argument;

G.      By letter dated July 18, 2023, Nelson Hydro requests a one-week extension to file its final written argument due to resource constraints and to also extend the subsequent intervener final written argument and Nelson Hydro’s reply, as follows:

 

H.      The BCUC has considered Nelson Hydro’s extension request and finds that an amended regulatory timetable is warranted.

 

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC amends the regulatory timetable, attached as Appendix A to this order.

 

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this               19^th               day of July 2023.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

E.B Lockhart

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

 

Nelson Hydro

2023 Revenue Requirement Application