August 26, 2025

By Tom Hackney and Bill Andrews

BCSEA today filed a letter of support with the BCUC for a voluntary renewable natural gas (RNG) service for Creative Energy’s Core Thermal Energy System in downtown Vancouver. The RNG service would provide a low-carbon “bridge” until Creative Energy’s decarbonization project (electric boilers) is eventually in service. 

BCSEA argued that the proposed RNG service would allow customers of the Core TES to purchase low-carbon heat to reduce their annual GHG emissions, and, for affected customers, to meet the GHG intensity limits established by the City of Vancouver. A BCUC decision is awaited.

Meanwhile, the BCUC recently accepted Creative Energy’s 2024 Long-Term Resource Plan for the Core TES system. In a written argument in May 2025, BCSEA said the plan is in the public interest under the Utilities Commission Act. BCSEA submitted that the plan adequately addresses the planning context and complies with the BCUC’s framework for review and acceptance of an LTRP. 

BCSEA stated that a key planning challenge for the Core TES is the delay of Creative Energy’s decarbonization project due to the BCUC’s April 2025 rejection of proposed capital expenditures. BCSEA asserted that the Core TES can enable more efficient and cost-effective decarbonization solutions than can be obtained through individual building solutions, particularly for large older buildings. BCSEA added that the Core TES can access low-carbon resources, such as large-scale electric boilers and heat pumps, that would be impractical for individual buildings to develop.