Orders

ORDER NUMBER

G-234-25

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

OATT Attachment M Transmission Line Ratings

BEFORE:

B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair

E. A. Brown, Commissioner

on September 24, 2025

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      On June 27, 2025, pursuant to sections 59 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act, the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed an application (Application) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) seeking approval to amend its Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT), specifically to incorporate a new Attachment M: Transmission Line Ratings, and to make two housekeeping amendments;

B.      In the Application, BC Hydro seeks approval of amendments to its OATT to reflect Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order No. 881 dated December 16, 2021 (FERC 881 Reforms), including the following:

                                i.            Adoption and inclusion of FERC’s ambient-adjusted rating mechanism, applying only to overhead transmission line conductors in BC Hydro’s Bulk Electrical System transmission circuits, with a modification to the temperature increment from 5°F to 2.5°C;

                               ii.            Incorporation of wording enabling BC Hydro to share line ratings and methodologies with other transmission providers upon request, with modification from the FERC 881 Reforms to include other utilities interconnected to the system;

                             iii.            Implementation of a database of line ratings and methodologies on BC Hydro’s OASIS site or another password-protected website; and

                             iv.            Posting on OASIS or another password-protected website any uses of exceptions or temporary alternate ratings;

C.      In addition, BC Hydro’s seeks approval of the following housekeeping amendments to its OATT:

                                i.            Amendment of BC Hydro OATT section 1.53 – Definition of Transmission System to specify the applicability of the term “transmission system” to facilities at 60 kilovolts or more; and

                               ii.            Amendment of the document structure to incorporate the new Attachment M into the table of contents;

D.      By Order G-185-25 dated July 28, 2025, the BCUC established a regulatory timetable for the consideration of the Application, including public notice, one round of BCUC information requests (IRs), and a letter of comment period;

E.       By the September 3, 2025 deadline, the BCUC did not receive any letters of comment; and

F.       The BCUC has reviewed the Application and considers that the following determinations are warranted.

NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:

1.       BC Hydro is approved to amend OATT Section 1.53, as set out in Appendix A of the Application, effective on the date of this Order.

2.       BC Hydro is approved to amend OATT Attachment M and the Table of Contents, as set out in Appendix A of the Application and as amended in BC Hydro’s response to BCUC IR No. 1.5.2, effective April 1, 2027.

3.       BC Hydro is directed to post a bulletin on its transmission website notifying customers of the approved amendments to the OATT within 30 days of the date of this Order.

4.       BC Hydro is directed to file the amended OATT tariff pages in accordance with the terms of this Order within 30 days for review and endorsement by the BCUC.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this      24^th      day of September 2025.

BY ORDER

Electronically signed by Bernard Magnan

B. A. Magnan

Commissioner