ORDER NUMBER
G-344-24
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Sidney Pier Geothermal Utility Corporation
Confidentiality Request
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Commissioner
E. B. Lockhart, Commissioner
on December 17, 2024
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On November 20, 2024, Sidney Pier Geothermal Utility Corporation (SPGU) filed a letter with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) requesting to keep certain information contained in its application to register the Sidney Pier Thermal Energy System (TES) as a Stream A TES (Stream A TES Application), including attachments, and associated responses to BCUC Staff Questions confidential, pursuant to Section 18 of the BCUC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure established by Order G-296-24. The confidentiality request included proposed redactions of the abovementioned documents;
B. On February 15, 2024, SPGU filed a Stream A TES Application with the BCUC to register the Sidney Pier TES as a Stream A TES, in accordance with the BCUC TES Regulatory Framework Guidelines;
C. On April 16, 2024, the BCUC issued BCUC Staff Questions No. 1 regarding the Stream A TES Application to SPGU, and on May 10, 2024, SPGU filed its responses;
D. On May 16, 2024, the BCUC issued Staff Questions No. 2 regarding the Stream A TES Application to SPGU, and on May 31, 2024, SPGU filed its responses;
E. By Order G-198-24 dated July 22, 2024, the BCUC granted SPGU a Stream A TES exemption for the Sidney Pier TES;
F. On November 25, 2024, the BCUC issued Staff Questions No. 1 regarding the confidentiality request. On November 26, 2024, SPGU filed its response to Staff Questions No. 1, which included revisions to its confidentiality request;
G. On December 10, 2024, the BCUC issued Staff Questions No. 2 regarding the confidentiality request. On December 13, 2024, SPGU filed its response to Staff Questions No. 2, which included further revisions to its confidentiality request;
H. In its confidentiality request, SPGU specifically requests that the capital cost, operating costs, engineering design drawings and reports related to the Sidney Pier TES be kept confidential. SPGU states that this information is commercially private and sensitive, the disclosure of which would cause harm to the current and future business and competitive advantage of SPGU. SPGU requests to keep the attachments to the Stream A TES Application confidential in their entirety; and
I. The BCUC has reviewed SPGU’s confidentiality request, including all revisions, and responses to BCUC Staff Questions No. 1 and No. 2 regarding the confidentiality request and considers that the following determination is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders that the attachments to SPGU’s Stream A TES Application, and the redacted information in SPGU’s Stream A TES Application and associated responses to BCUC Staff Questions No. 1 and No. 2 shall be held confidential unless otherwise determined by the BCUC.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 17th day of December 2024.
BY ORDER
Electronically signed by Bernard Magnan
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner