ORDER NUMBER
E-18-24
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
FortisBC Inc.
Application for Acceptance of Energy Supply Contracts
with Cascade Pacific Power Corporation
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair
E. A. Brown, Commissioner
E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner
W. E. Royle, Commissioner
on July 18, 2024
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On April 30, 2024, pursuant to section 1.1.1 of the Rules for Energy Supply Contracts for Electricity (Rules), FortisBC Inc. (FBC) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) four short-term energy supply contracts (ESCs) entered into by FBC and Cascade Pacific Power Corporation (Cascade Pacific) in 2023, for the purchase of power (FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs) (altogether, Filing);
B. By Order G-61-12 dated May 17, 2012, the BCUC approved the Rules. The Rules facilitate the BCUC’s review of energy supply contracts for electricity and proposed energy supply contracts for electricity under section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA);
C. By Order G-380-22 dated December 21, 2022, the BCUC accepted FBC’s 2021 Long-Term Electric Resource Plan including FBC’s 2021 Long-Term Demand-Side Management Plan (2021 LTERP);
D. By Letter L-19-22 dated May 26, 2022, the BCUC accepted for filing FBC’s Annual Electric Contracting Plan for the period from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023 (2022/23 AECP);
E. On April 28, July 31 and October 30, 2023, FBC filed with the BCUC, pursuant to section 71(2.1) of the UCA and section 1.1.1 of the Rules, reports on ESCs with 62 days or less in duration for the first, second and third quarters of 2023, respectively, which included the FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs.
F. FBC requests that the FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs be kept confidential in perpetuity due to their commercially sensitive nature; and
G. The BCUC has reviewed the Filing and is satisfied that the FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs are in the public interest and consistent with FBC’s 2022/23 AECP and FBC’s 2021 LTERP.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 71 of the UCA, the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The BCUC accepts the FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs as filed.
2. The FBC-Cascade Pacific ESCs will be kept confidential until the BCUC determines otherwise.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 18th day of July 2024.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner