Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-229-25

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

River District Energy Limited Partnership

2026 to 2028 Revenue Requirements and Rates

BEFORE:

B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair

W. E. Royle, Commissioner

on September 19, 2025

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On September 2, 2025, River District Energy Limited Partnership (RDELP) filed an application with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act, seeking approval of its revenue requirement and to increase both the capacity charge and the thermal energy charge by 10 percent each year for the calendar years 2026, 2027 and 2028 (Test Period), effective January 1 of each year, among other matters (Application);

B.      RDELP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wesgroup Utilities Limited Partnership, which itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wesgroup Properties Limited Partnership (Wesgroup). Wesgroup is a privately-owned real estate development firm that designs, builds, owns and operates residential, commercial, and retail developments across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (BC);

C.      By Order C-14-11 dated December 19, 2011, RDELP was granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct and operate temporary and permanent natural gas fuelled energy centres and related thermal distribution piping system and energy transfer stations (District Energy Utility System) for the River District development in Southeast Vancouver, BC (River District). The BCUC also approved a 20-year levelized monthly capacity charge based on connected floor area (Capacity Charge) and a variable thermal energy charge based on actual consumption (Thermal Energy Charge), and the establishment of a revenue deficiency deferral account to support the levelized-rate approach;

D.      By Order C-3-23 dated June 27, 2023, RDELP was granted a CPCN for the second phase of River District’s District Energy Utility System to construct and operate a new, permanent Community Energy Centre (CEC), as well as the related thermal energy distribution piping system, energy transfer stations and facilities as required by RDELP to serve current and future customer buildings within River District; and

E.       The BCUC has commenced review of the Application and considers that the establishment of a regulatory timetable is warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

1.         A regulatory timetable for the review of the Application is established as set out in Appendix A to this order.

2.         On or before Friday, September 26, 2025, RDELP is directed to:

                              (i)      Publish the Application and a copy of this order on its website at www.rdenergy.ca;

                            (ii)      Provide a copy of the Application and this order, electronically where possible, to all registered interveners in the RDELP Application for a CPCN to Construct and Operate the Second Phase of the District Energy Utility System for the River District Development proceeding;

                           (iii)      Provide a copy of this order and the Public Notice attached as Appendix B to this order, electronically where possible, to all residential strata and commercial property managers for each building in River District that it serves;

                           (iv)      Post, or request Wesgroup and all residential strata and commercial property managers, as applicable, to post and provide confirmation of this posting to RDELP, the Public Notice attached as Appendix B to this order at all major entryways of: a) each building  in River District that it serves; b) the Wesgroup Customer Care Office; and c) any River District sales centres; and

                            (v)      Post notice of the Application and this order, or request that Wesgroup post the same and provide confirmation of this posting to RDELP, on its existing social media platforms.

3.         RDELP is directed to provide written confirmation of compliance with the public notice requirements set out in Directive 2 by Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this       19^th      day of September 2025.

BY ORDER

Electronically signed by Bernard Magnan

B. A. Magnan

Commissioner

Attachment

River District Energy Limited Partnership

2026 to 2028 Revenue Requirement and Rates

RIVER DISTRICT ENERGY 2026 TO 2028 RATES APPLICATION

On September 5, 2025, River District Energy Limited Partnership (River District Energy) applied to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for rate changes for River District customers. River District Energy seeks approval to increase both the Capacity Charge and Thermal Energy Charge by 10% each year, for the next three years, as shown below:

The combined annual bill impact of the above changes is an approximate 8% to 10% increase each year for a residential customer in an 800 square feet suite with an annual consumption of 8,000 kilowatt hours.

The BCUC has started a public and transparent proceeding to review River District Energy’s 2026 to 2028 rates application. To share your views, please visit www.bcuc.com/get-involved or visit the Proceeding webpage on bcuc.com under “Our Work” to learn more.