FortisBC Electric’s Long Term Plan Gets Go-Ahead
January 15, 2023
By Bill Andrews and Tom Hackney
The BC Utilities Commission approved FortisBC’s long-term plan for supply-side and demand-side resources in a decision released on December 21, 2022. BCSEA supported the plan, after intervening actively in the 16-month proceeding since it began in August of 2021.
To BCSEA, the key benefits of the plan are:
- “High” DSM (conservation and efficiency) scenario,
- No new generation facilities until at least 2030, and
- A pilot project for home EV charging, to shift charging to off-peak hours.
Disappointingly, the BCUC deferred a decision on FBC’s proposal to purchase only clean (renewable generation) electricity from the international electricity market. BCSEA supported the proposal. However, BCUC won’t decide until FBC makes a more-detailed application. Hopefully, the groundwork will have been laid for success in the future.
FortisBC is an integrated electric utility that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to customers in the southern interior of BC. It serves approximately 144,000 direct customers plus approximately 38,000 indirect wholesale customers in the communities of Summerland, Penticton, Grand Forks and Nelson. FBC owns four hydroelectric generating plants located on the Kootenay River between Nelson and Castlegar. FBC also obtains electric energy and capacity supply from power purchase agreements with Brilliant 1 Expansion, BC Hydro, Columbia Power Corporation, the Waneta Expansion facility, Powerex (the energy marketing subsidiary of BC Hydro) and a small number of Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects. FBC owns and operates about 7,300 kilometres of transmission and distribution power lines.
Links:
BCUC Proceeding for FortisBC Inc. 2021 Long-Term Resource Plan and Demand-Side Management Plan