ORDER NUMBER
G-336-23
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Pacific Northern Gas Ltd
PNG Rate Schedule 40 Industrial Firm Transportation Service Agreements with Babine Forest Products Ltd. and Fort St. James Forest Products LP
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Commissioner
on December 8, 2023
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On December 1, 2023, Pacific Northern Gas Ltd. (PNG) filed an application (Application) to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), for approval of two independent transportation service agreements both dated November 27, 2023 (TSAs), to provide firm transportation service to each of Babine Forest Products Ltd. (Babine) and Fort St. James Forest Products L.P. (Fort St. James) under the PNG-West Industrial Firm Transportation Rate Schedule 40 (RS 40). The TSAs are filed for approval together as both sites are owned by the same parent company, Hampton Lumber, and contain identical terms except for customer site-specific information;
B. The TSAs are generally consistent with the form and intent of the approved form of TSA for Industrial Firm Transportation Service that was approved by directive 3 of BCUC Order G-123-20. PNG identified a need to update and modernize general provisions and incorporate new provisions that address the specific needs of these service arrangements given the passage of time and no customer has yet taken service under RS 40;
C. PNG submits that this Application is straight-forward, absent of contentious issues, has been entered into by knowledgeable parties, has limited risks, provides the requested security of service to the customers, and provides incremental financial benefits to PNG’s existing customers; and
D. The BCUC has completed its review of the Application and makes the following determinations.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the UCA, the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The Transportation Service Agreement between PNG and Babine is approved as filed in the Application, effective December 1, 2023.
2. The Transportation Service Agreement between PNG and Fort St. James is approved as filed in the Application, effective December 1, 2023.
3. PNG is directed to file the TSAs approved by this order for endorsement within 15 days from the date of this order.
4. PNG is directed to file an updated draft form TSA for BCUC approval by January 31, 2024.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 8th day of December 2023.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner