Orders

 

ORDER NUMBER

G-190-24

 

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

2024 Rate Design

 

BEFORE:

M. Jaccard, Panel Chair

T. A. Loski, Commissioner

W. E. Royle, Commissioner

 

on July 16, 2024

 

ORDER

WHEREAS:

 

A.      On June 13, 2023, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) issued its Decision and Order G-140-23 on British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro)’s Fiscal 2024 Residential Inclining Block (RIB) Rate Pricing Principles Application, which directed BC Hydro to, among other things, file an application for changes to the current RIB Rate by June 30, 2024;

B.      On June 27, 2024, pursuant to sections 58 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act, BC Hydro filed with the BCUC, a 2024 Rate Design Application (Application), which includes a proposal for changes to its residential service rates in accordance with Order G-140-23, net metering service rate, non-integrated area rates, and Electric Tariff Terms and Conditions. Specifically, BC Hydro is seeking the following BCUC approvals:

                    i.            Residential Service Rates:

(a)    To expand the availability of Rate Schedule (RS) 1151 – Exempt Residential Service (RS 1151) to all residential customers and to change the name of RS 1151 to Rate Schedule 1151 – Residential Service – Flat Rate, effective April 1, 2025;

(b)   To cancel the multi-residential service rates (i.e. RS 1121 – Multi-Dwelling RIB Rate, RS 1161 – Multi-Dwelling Flat Rate), effective June 1, 2025, and to transition customers on RS 1121 and
RS 1161 to the appropriate rate schedule at the start of their next billing cycle following April 1, 2025; and

(c)    To extend the RIB Rate pricing principles on an ongoing basis unless otherwise directed by the BCUC following a subsequent application by BC Hydro and to change the name of RS 1101 – Residential Service (RS 1101) to RS 1101 – Residential Service – Tiered Rate.

                   ii.            Net Metering Service Rates:

(a)    To close RS 1289 – Net Metering Service rate to new customers, effective January 1, 2026, with transition rules for existing customers;

(b)   To establish a new RS 2289 – Self-Generation Service Rate, effective January 1, 2026, available for residential and general service customers who install their own generation to offset their electricity consumption and to provide compensation for excess generation sent to BC Hydro’s grid; and

(c)    To establish a new RS 2290 – Community Generation Service Rate, effective April 1, 2026, to allow multiple account holders to contribute to and share compensation for excess generation from a community-based generating facility.

                 iii.            Non-Integrated Area (NIA) Rates:

(a)    To expand the availability of the following rate schedules to customers in the NIA and to transition customers in the NIA to the appropriate rate schedule by the following dates which align with the customers’ respective next billing cycles following April 1, 2025:

                                                         i.            Residential Service: RS 1101, RS 1148, RS 1151 and RS 2101, with transition of customers by June 1, 2025;

                                                       ii.            Small General Service: RS 1300, 1301, 1310, 1311, with transition of customers by
June 1, 2025;

                                                     iii.            Medium General Service: RS 1500, 1501, 1510, 1511, with transition of customers by May 1, 2025;

                                                     iv.            Large General Service: RS 1600, 1601, 1610, 1611, with transition of customers by
May 1, 2025; and

                                                       v.            Irrigation Service: RS 1401 – Irrigation Service (RS 1401).

(b)   To cancel the following rate schedules, effective by the following dates:

                                                     vi.            Residential Service: RS 1107, RS 1127 and RS 1148 by June 1, 2025;

                                                    vii.            General Service: RS 1200, 1201, 1210, 1211 by May 1, 2025;

                                                  viii.            Zone II Small General Service (Under 35 kW): RS 1234 by June 1, 2025; and

                                                      ix.            Zone II General Service (35 kW and Over): RS 1255, 1256, 1265, 1266 by May 1, 2025;

(c)    To recover the resulting forecast revenue reduction from the above changes from all ratepayers through general rates.

                 iv.             Electric Tariff:

(a)    To update the Electric Tariff Terms and Conditions as shown in Appendix B to the Application; and

(b)    To update the Electric Tariff Rate Schedules as shown in Appendix B to the Application;

C.      BC Hydro proposes a future submission by no later than December 20, 2024, and as part of this proceeding, to set the Self-Generation Price and Community Generation Price for excess generation from Self-Generation Service Rate and Community Generation Service Rate customers, respectively, and to determine a transition period for existing customers to remain on RS 1289 before being migrated to the Self-Generation Service Rate; and

D.      The BCUC has commenced its review of the Application and determines that the establishment of a public hearing 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 Application and this order available on its website by no later than Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

3.       BC Hydro is directed, by no later than Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to provide a copy of this order and the Application, electronically where possible, to all participants in the workshops held by BC Hydro to gather input on the Application and to all registered interveners in the following BC Hydro proceedings:

a.       Fiscal 2023 to Fiscal 2025 Revenue Requirements Application;

b.       2015 Rate Design Application;

c.       2019 Application to Amend Net Metering Service under Rate Schedule 1289;

d.       2020 Street Lighting Rates Application; and

e.       2023 Optional Residential Time-of-Use Rate Application.

4.       BC Hydro is directed, by no later than Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to provide a copy of this order and the Application, electronically where possible, to all affected communities and First Nations in BC Hydro’s NIA, and to BC Hydro’s existing net metering service customers as at the date of the Application.

5.       BC Hydro is directed to publish notice of the Application and this order to its existing social media platforms by no later than Tuesday, July 23, 2024. BC Hydro must also publish weekly reminder notices on each of its platforms until the conclusion of the intervener registration period on Thursday, August 22, 2024.

6.       BC Hydro is directed to provide to the BCUC by Thursday, July 25, 2024, written confirmation of compliance with the notice requirements in Directives 2 to 5 of this order, including a list of the social media platforms where notice has been shared and confirmation that weekly reminder notices will be published, as well as a list of all parties notified.

7.       Intervention may be limited by topic to those parties that are directly or sufficiently affected. Parties must specify in the Request to Intervene Form (found on the BCUC website at https://www.bcuc.com/Forms/RequestToIntervene) the topic(s) (e.g. chapters 4 to 7 of the Application) they intend to intervene on and explain how they are directly or sufficiently affected in relation to each topic identified.

8.       BC Hydro’s proposal to establish a net billing compensation mechanism for excess generation delivered to the BC Hydro grid and a transition period for existing customers to remain on RS 1289 before being migrated to the Self-Generation Service Rate is out of scope in Information Request No. 1. BC Hydro is directed to file an evidentiary update as outlined in recital C of this order by Friday, December 20, 2024.

 

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this              16^th              day of July 2024.

 

BY ORDER

 

Original signed by:

 

M. Jaccard

Commissioner

 

 

Attachment

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

2024 Rate Design