ORDER NUMBER
G-306-24
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Lake Okanagan Resort
Electrical Distribution Assessment Report
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair
E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner
on November 21, 2024
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On December 7, 2022, Lake Okanagan Resort (LOR) filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) its draft Electrical Distribution Assessment Report (LOR Assessment Report) regarding the safety and reliability of LOR’s electrical equipment;
B. By Order G-41-23 dated March 1, 2023, the BCUC established a proceeding (Proceeding) to review the LOR Assessment Report;
C. On August 21, 2023, the BCUC adjourned the Proceeding until further notice due to serious developments in wildfires in the Okanagan and Southern Interior region. LOR sustained extensive damage in these wildfires;
D. On October 30, 2023, following a review of LOR’s current circumstances and plans, the BCUC issued Order G‑294-23 requiring LOR to cease and desist the construction of any public utility electrical equipment (e.g., power poles) that would be used by LOR in the transmission, sale, delivery or provision of electricity to or for the public or a corporation for compensation. As such, LOR is not currently providing electrical services;
E. LOR is required to obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) prior to the construction or operation of any public utility electrical equipment at the resort. The BCUC’s CPCN Guidelines attached to BCUC Order G-20-15 require a CPCN application to include a “[d]escription of the project… including engineering design, capacity, location options and preference, safety and reliability considerations, and all ancillary or related facilities that are proposed to be constructed, owned or operated by the applicant”; and
F. The BCUC considers the following determination to be warranted.
NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders that the Proceeding is closed.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 21st day of November 2024.
BY ORDER
Electronically signed by Bernard Magnan
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner