ORDER NUMBER
R-54-23
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Mandatory Reliability Standards Assessment Report No. 17 Extension Request
BEFORE:
E. B. Lockhart, Panel Chair
E. A. Brown, Commissioner
on November 14, 2023
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On October 27, 2023, the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro), pursuant to section 3(2) of the Mandatory Reliability Standards Regulation, BC Regulation 119/2016 (MRS Regulation), submitted an application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) seeking an extension by which it must file an assessment of Mandatory Reliability Standards (MRS) for adoption in British Columbia (Assessment Report No. 17) to May 1, 2024 (Extension Request);
B. Subsection 3(1)(a) of the MRS Regulation requires BC Hydro to report on a reliability standard, in accordance with section 125.2(3) of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), within one year of the date the reliability standard is adopted by the regulatory body with jurisdiction over the standard-making body that established the reliability standard. This regulatory body is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC);
C. Pursuant to subsection 3(2) of the MRS Regulation, upon application by BC Hydro, the BCUC may extend the time by which BC Hydro must provide such a report;
D. Pursuant to section 125.2(2) of the UCA, the BCUC has exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a “reliability standard,” as defined in the UCA, is in the public interest and should be adopted in BC;
E. In order to facilitate the BCUC’s consideration of reliability standards, BC Hydro is required under section 125.2(3) of the UCA to review each reliability standard established by a standard-making body, such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, and provide the BCUC with a report (MRS Assessment Report) assessing:
(a) any adverse impact of the reliability standard on the reliability of electricity transmission in BC if the reliability standard were adopted;
(b) the suitability of the reliability standard for BC;
(c) the potential cost of the reliability standard if it were adopted;
(c.1) the application of the reliability standard to persons or persons in respect of specified equipment if the reliability standard were adopted; and
(d) any other matter prescribed by regulation or identified by order of the BCUC;
F. BC Hydro’s approach for assessing standards, both new and revised, has been to consolidate and assess reliability standards adopted by FERC within BC Hydro’s annual assessment period (December 1 to November 30). As a result, certain reliability standards included in the Assessment Report No. 17 Assessment Period (December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023) will have been adopted by FERC more than one year prior to the filing date of Assessment Report No. 17; and
G. The BCUC has reviewed the Extension Request and finds that an extension to May 1, 2024 is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 3(2) of the MRS Regulation and section 125.2(4) of the UCA, the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The BCUC grants BC Hydro’s Extension Request to provide Assessment Report No. 17 to the BCUC on the reliability standards adopted by FERC between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023.
2. BC Hydro must file Mandatory Reliability Standards Assessment Report No. 17 with the BCUC by May 1, 2024.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 14th day of November 2023.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
E. B. Lockhart
Commissioner