Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-18-24

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Remote Community Electrification Repayment Regulatory Account

BEFORE:

C. M. Brewer, Panel Chair

M. Jaccard, Commissioner

T. A. Loski, Commissioner

 

on January 22, 2024

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On December 22, 2023, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed an application (Application) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) seeking approval, pursuant to sections 59 and 61 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), of the following:

                     i.            To establish a new Remote Communities Electrification (RCE) Repayment Regulatory Account to capture costs in fiscal 2024 being incurred to refund Annual Charges paid by the Gitga’at, Kwadacha, Tsay Keh Dene, Uchucklesaht and Dease River First Nations (First Nations) under Electricity Servicing Agreements (ESA) with BC Hydro as part of the RCE program;

                   ii.            To defer Annual Charges paid to the First Nations, representing amounts that had been collected under ESAs with these First Nations to the RCE Repayment Regulatory Account commencing in fiscal 2024;

                 iii.            To apply interest to the balance of the RCE Repayment Regulatory Account based on BC Hydro’s current weighted average cost of debt;

                 iv.            To amortize the forecast of the Annual Charges paid balance in the RCE Repayment Regulatory Account over the next test period commencing in fiscal 2026;

                   v.            To amortize into rates over the next test period effective fiscal 2026, the forecast annual interest costs and the difference between forecast and actual interest for the preceding test period; and

                 vi.            To close the RCE Repayment Regulatory Account at the end of the next test period, which will start in fiscal 2026, and transfer any remaining interest balance in the account to the Total Finance Charges Regulatory Account;

B.      BC Hydro requests the confidential information contained in the Application remain confidential in perpetuity on the basis that it contains commercially sensitive information; and

C.      The BCUC determines that the establishment of a public hearing process to review the Application is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

 

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

2.       BC Hydro is directed to make the public version of the Application available on its website and to provide a copy of the public version of the Application and this order to the First Nations by Friday, January 26, 2024.

3.       BC Hydro is directed to provide confirmation to the BCUC that it has complied with Directive 2 of this order by Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

4.       The First Nations are invited to file letters of comment regarding the Application, including the accuracy of the total amount in Annual Charges BC Hydro reports each of the First Nations paid pursuant to the ESAs, by the deadline established in the regulatory timetable attached as Appendix A.

5.       The confidential information contained in the Application will be held confidential until the BCUC determines otherwise.

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this       22^nd     day of January 2024.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

C. M. Brewer

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

 

 

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Remote Community Electrification Repayment Regulatory Account