IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, Chapter 473
and
An Application by British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Residential Inclining Block Rate Re-pricing Application
BEFORE: L.F. Kelsey, Commissioner December 22, 2010
O R D E R
WHEREAS:
A. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) filed its Residential Inclining Block (RIB) Re-pricing Application (Application) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission), pursuant to sections 58 to 61 of the Utilities Commission Act, for approval of a pricing principle for its RIB rate, to be effective April 1, 2011;
B. The RIB rate was originally approved by Commission Order G-124-08 issued on October 1, 2008, with approval of a pricing principle for only two years, F2009 and F2010. Commission Order G-47-10 issued on March 15, 2010 granted approval for BC Hydro to apply its interim F2011 rate increase uniformly across the RIB rate’s Basic Charge, the Step-1 rate, and Step-2 rate. The F2011 pricing principle applicable to the RIB rate was approved by Commission Order G-180-10 which approved the BC Hydro F2011 Revenue Requirements application Negotiated Settlement Agreement;
C. In this Application, BC Hydro proposes that the pricing principle approved in Orders G-47-10 and G-180-10 in regard to F2011 be sustained until such time as circumstances require that it be re-visited, and in any case no sooner than the final resolution of its Time-of-Use rate application which is currently under preparation and the provincial government’s approval of BC Hydro’s 2011 Integrated Resource Plan. In short, BC Hydro requests approval to allow it to continue to apply the revenue requirement rate increases to each of the RIB rate’s Basic charge, Step 1 Rate and Step 2 Rate;
D. BC Hydro proposes that the application be reviewed by a written hearing process.
NOW THEREFORE the Commission orders as follows:
1. The Application will be reviewed by a Written Hearing Process. The Regulatory Timetable is in Appendix A to this Order.
2. The process will include one round of Information Requests from Commission staff and Registered Interveners and written submissions from BC Hydro and Registered Interveners.
3. BC Hydro is to provide a copy of the Application and this Commission Order and Regulatory Timetable to those who were Interveners in the 2008 RIB application proceeding.
4. Those who wish to participate in BC Hydro’s RIB Re-pricing Application are to advise the Commission Secretary of their intention to do so, in writing no later than Thursday, January 6, 2011.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 23rd day of December 2010.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
L.F. Kelsey
Commissioner
British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
Residential Inclining Block Rate Re-pricing Application
REGULATORY TIMETABLE
ACTION DATES (2011)
Intervener Registration Deadline Thursday, January 6
Application Deadline for Participant Funding Tuesday, January 11
Commission and Intervener Information Requests No. 1 Monday, January 17
BC Hydro Responses to Information Requests No. 1 Monday, February 7
Intervener Submissions Friday, February 18
BC Hydro Submissions Friday, February 25