ORDER NUMBER
R-25-24
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Mandatory Reliability Standards Assessment Report No. 18 Extension Request
BEFORE:
E. A. Brown, Commissioner
A. K. Fung, KC, Commissioner
E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner
on November 25, 2024
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On October 25, 2024, the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro), pursuant to section 3(2) of the Mandatory Reliability Standards Regulation, BC Regulation 119/2016 (MRS Regulation), submitted an application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) seeking an extension of the date by which it must file an assessment of Mandatory Reliability Standards adopted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) between December 1, 2023, and November 30, 2024 to May 1, 2025 (Extension Request);
B. Pursuant to section 125.2(2) of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA), the BCUC has exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a “reliability standard,” as defined in the UCA, is in the public interest and should be adopted in BC;
C. In order to facilitate the BCUC’s consideration of reliability standards, BC Hydro is required under section 125.2(3) of the UCA to review each reliability standard established by a standard-making body, such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, and provide the BCUC with a report assessing:
(a) any adverse impact of the reliability standard on the reliability of electricity transmission in BC if the reliability standard were adopted;
(b) the suitability of the reliability standard for BC;
(c) the potential cost of the reliability standard if it were adopted;
(c.1) the application of the reliability standard to persons or persons in respect of specified equipment if the reliability standard were adopted; and
(d) any other matter prescribed by regulation or identified by order of the BCUC;
D. Subsection 3(1)(a) of the MRS Regulation requires BC Hydro to report on a reliability standard, in accordance with section 125.2(3) of the UCA, within one year of the date the reliability standard is adopted by the regulatory body with jurisdiction over the standard-making body that established the reliability standard. This regulatory body is FERC;
E. Pursuant to subsection 3(2) of the MRS Regulation, upon application by BC Hydro, the BCUC may extend the time by which BC Hydro must provide such a report;
F. BC Hydro’s approach for assessing standards, both new and revised, is to consolidate and assess reliability standards that FERC has adopted during BC Hydro’s annual assessment period (December 1 to November 30). As a result, certain reliability standards included in BC Hydro’s next assessment report (Assessment Report No. 18), covering the period from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, will have been adopted by FERC more than one year prior to BC Hydro’s proposed filing date of May 1, 2025; and
G. The BCUC has reviewed the Extension Request and finds that an extension to May 1, 2025 is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 3(2) of the MRS Regulation and section 125.2(4) of the UCA, the BCUC orders as follows:
1. BC Hydro’s Extension Request regarding Assessment Report No. 18 to the BCUC on the reliability standards adopted by FERC between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024 is granted.
2. BC Hydro must file Assessment Report No. 18 with the BCUC by May 1, 2025.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 25th day of November 2024.
BY ORDER
Electronically signed by Anna Fung
A. K. Fung, KC
Commissioner