ORDER NUMBER
G-149-24
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Mainwaring Substation Upgrade Project Scope Change
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair
W. E. Royle, Commissioner
on May 27, 2024
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On January 17, 2024, in accordance with British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) Order C-4-22, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed a material change report, along with an errata filed February 2, 2024 (Material Change Report) with the BCUC for the Mainwaring Substation Upgrade Project (Project), reporting a change in scope to include the addition of a further feeder section. BC Hydro states that the need for the additional feeder section is due to accelerated customer load growth in the South Vancouver area;
B. On August 16, 2022, the BCUC issued Order C-4-22, granting BC Hydro a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for the Project. The scope of the Project at the time of the CPCN application included:
• Replacement of two existing substation transformers with two new transformers;
• Replacement of an existing feeder section (20 existing feeder positions), with three new indoor gas insulated feeder sections (21 new feeder positions); and
• Space for one additional future feeder section in future (7 feeder positions).
C. On January 31, 2024, the BCUC issued Order G-27-24A, approving amendments to BC Hydro’s Major Capital Project Filing Guidelines. Directive 2 of Order G-27-24A approved amendments to the project reporting directives for the Mainwaring Substation Upgrade Project in Appendix A to the Decision accompanying Order C-4-22 and varied by Order G-266-22;
D. BC Hydro states that since the CPCN application, the timing of the need for the additional feeder section has advanced because load connection requests from customers have increased, many of which are driven by customers transitioning towards electrification. BC Hydro states that it now has approximately 40 MW of requests for customer load connections to be in service by 2028 in the Mainwaring area, which could be accommodated by the addition of a further feeder section;
E. BC Hydro states that an addition to the Project scope provides the opportunity to add the feeder section more quickly and more cost-effectively than initiating a separate project. BC Hydro submits that this is because it can issue change orders to the existing contracts for the three feeder sections that are already part of the Project more quickly, locking in equipment prices and a delivery schedule in a very tight supply chain market. Further, BC Hydro states that adding one feeder section to the current Project scope avoids the time and cost associated with initiating a new project;
F. In the Material Change Report, BC Hydro revised the objective and scope of the Project to:
The objective of the Mainwaring Substation Upgrade Project is to maintain the reliability of Mainwaring substation, support customer load connection requests in the Mainwaring area, as well as to address safety, environmental and reputational risks at the substation by replacing the T1 and T3 power transformers with two new 150 MVA transformers and replacing the existing 50/60 feeder section of 20 feeder positions with four new indoor gas insulated feeder sections with a total of 28 new feeder positions and all associated equipment.
G. The BCUC has reviewed the Material Change Report and considers that an amendment to the CPCN granted by Order C-4-22 is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 46(7) of the Utilities Commission Act, the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The CPCN granted by Order C-4-22 is amended to include the following Project scope change identified in the Material Change Report: The change to the Project scope is to add one more feeder section with seven feeder positions to the Project to support customer load connection requests in the Mainwaring area, thereby increasing the number of feeder positions to 28.
2. BC Hydro is directed to continue to comply with all directives outlined in Appendix A of Order G-27-24A.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 27th day of May 2024.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner