Orders

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, Chapter 473

 

and

 

Assessment Report 2 by the British Columbia Transmission Corporation

and the Determination of Reliability Standards for Adoption in British Columbia

 

 

BEFORE:                             L.F. Kelsey, Commissioner                     

                                            D.A. Cote, Commissioner                                        March 4, 2010

                                                                                                               

 

O  R  D  E  R

WHEREAS:

 

A.    Pursuant to section 125.2(2) of the Utilities Commission Act (the Act) the British Columbia Utilities Commission (the Commission) has exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a “reliability standard”, as defined in the Act, is in the public interest and should be adopted in British Columbia; and

 

B.     In order to facilitate the Commission’s consideration of reliability standards, the British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) is required under section 125.2(3) of the Act to review each reliability standard and provide the Commission with a report assessing:

 

(a)     any adverse impact of the reliability standard on the reliability of electricity transmission in British Columbia if the reliability standard were adopted;

 

(b)     the suitability of the reliability standard for British Columbia;

 

(c)     the potential cost of the reliability standard if it were adopted; and

 

(d)     any other matter prescribed by regulation or identified by order of the Commission; and

 

C.      On March 27, 2009 BCTC filed with the Commission an Assessment Report on 103 reliability standards pursuant to BCTC’s obligations under section 125.2(3) of the Act; and

 

D.      Commission Order G-33-09 set down the review process for this filing and Order G-67-09 subsequently approved the 103 standards as mandatory for British Columbia; and

 

E.     On February 23, 2010, BCTC filed a report (the Assessment Report 2) pursuant to section 125.2(3) of the Act, assessing twenty-three reliability standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).  Twenty-two of the standards assessed are revisions to previously approved standards and one standard is new; and

 

F.     Pursuant to section 125.2(5)(a) of the Act, the Commission will post the Assessment Report  on its website at www.bcuc.com and invites public comments on the Assessment Report; and

 

E.     The Commission wishes to establish a Regulatory Timetable for public comment and review of the reliability standards assessed in the Assessment Report 2.

 

 

NOW THEREFORE the Commission orders as follows:

 

1.     In accordance with the Regulatory Timetable attached as Appendix A to this Order, any person wishing to comment on the reliability standards assessed in the Assessment Report 2 must deliver written comments to the Commission by no later than Tuesday, April 6, 2010 with a copy to BCTC at the following address:

 

Suite 1100, Four Bentall Centre

1055 Dunsmuir Street, PO Box 49260, Vancouver, BC V7X 1V5

Attention: Janet Fraser, Director Regulatory Affairs

 

2.     BCTC will file with the Commission any comments in response to the public comments received by no later than Friday, April 23, 2010.

 

3.     The Commission may, if it considers necessary, deliver information requests to BCTC and/or person(s) who have submitted comments.  Any such information requests will be delivered by Friday, May 7, 2010 and recipients of the information requests must reply by Friday, May 21, 2010.

 

4.     BCTC will publish the Notice of Assessment Report 2 and Process for Public Comments that is attached as Appendix B to this Order, in the Vancouver Sun, the Victoria Times Colonist, the Province, and such other local papers as will provide sufficient coverage of its service area, as soon as it is practical to do so.

 

5.     BCTC will send a letter of notification to each entity who replied to its Assessment Report 2 consultation process advising them of the Report filing and the Commission’s review process.

 

 

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this           4^th                   day of March 2010.

 

                                                                                                                                BY ORDER

 

                                                                                                                                Original signed by:

 

                                                                                                                                D.A. Cote

                                                                                                                                Commissioner

Attachments

 

 

Assessment Report 2 by the British Columbia Transmission Corporation

and the Determination of Reliability Standards for Adoption in British Columbia

 

 

Regulatory Timetable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment Report 2 by the British Columbia Transmission Corporation

and the Determination of Reliability Standards for Adoption in British Columbia

 

 

NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT REPORT 2 AND PROCESS FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS

 

 

Under the Utilities Commission Act (the Act) the British Columbia Utilities Commission (the Commission) has exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a “reliability standard” is in the public interest and should be adopted in British Columbia. A reliability standard is “a reliability standard, rule or code established by a standard making body for the purpose of being a mandatory reliability standard for planning and operating the North American bulk power system, and includes any substantial change to any of those standards, rules or codes.”

 

In order to facilitate the Commission's consideration of reliability standards, the British Columbia Transmission Corporation (BCTC) is required under the Act to review each reliability standard and provide the Commission with a report assessing:

 

(a)     any adverse impact of the reliability standard on the reliability of electricity transmission in British Columbia if the reliability standard were adopted;

(b)     the suitability of the reliability standard for British Columbia;

(c)     the potential cost of the reliability standard if it were adopted; and

(d)     any other matter prescribed by regulation or identified by order of the Commission.

 

On February 23, 2010 BCTC filed its Assessment Report 2 on 23 reliability standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC).  Twenty-two standards are revisions to previously approved standards and one standard is new.

 

The Commission has posted BCTC’s Assessment Report on its website at www.bcuc.com, and invites public comments on the reliability standards assessed in Assessment Report 2.

 

After considering Assessment Report 2 and the submissions that it receives, the Commission will make a determination on each of the 23 standards, to either adopt the standard or refer it to a hearing that will consider whether the standard is in the public interest.

 

 

REQUEST FOR COMMENTS

 

Commission Order G-36-10 establishes a Regulatory Timetable and process for comments.  Any person wishing to comment on BCTC’s Assessment Report 2 and the reliability standards that are assessed in it must deliver written comments to the Commission by no later than Tuesday, April 6, 2010 with a copy to BCTC at the following address:

 

Suite 1100, Four Bentall Centre

1055 Dunsmuir Street, PO Box 49260, Vancouver BC V7X 1V5

Attention: Janet Fraser, Director Regulatory Affairs

 

All written comments on Assessment Report 2 will be placed on the public record and posted to the Commission’s website.

 

 

PUBLIC INSPECTION OF THE ASSESSMENT REPORT

 

Assessment Report 2 is available for inspection at the following locations:

 

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

 

For further information, please contact Ms. Erica Hamilton, Commission Secretary as follows: