Orders

IN THE MATTER OF

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

and

FortisBC Energy Inc.

A Section 71 Filing of the Remaining Natural Gas Supply Contracts

for the period April 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015

BEFORE:               L. F. Kelsey, Commissioner

                                H. G. Harowitz, Commissioner

                                K. A. Keilty, Commissioner

                                I. F. MacPhail, Commissioner                                      April 23, 2015

                                B. A. Magnan, Commissioner

                                D. M. Morton, Commissioner

                                R. D. Revel, Commissioner

O  R  D  E  R

WHEREAS:

A.      By Order G-130-06 dated October 26, 2006, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) approved Rules for Natural Gas Energy Supply Contracts (Rules). The Rules are intended to facilitate the Commission’s review of natural gas energy supply contracts under section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act;

B.      By Letter L-40-14 dated July 17, 2014, the Commission accepted the FortisBC Energy Inc. (FEI) 2014/15 Annual Gas Contracting Plan (ACP), which covered the period of November 1, 2014 to October 31, 2015 (2014/2015 Gas Year). The 2014/15 ACP described FEI’s plan to meet the combined natural gas requirements for FortisBC Energy Utilities, that included FEI, FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc., and FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc.;

C.      By Order E-27-14 dated December 4, 2014, the Commission accepted for filing natural gas supply contracts for the 2014/2015 Gas Year. In FEI’s filing, FEI noted that it would purchase the remaining supply required for the period April 2015 to October 2015 (Summer 2015) and that this information would be filed with the Commission subsequent to the completion of contracts in the first quarter of 2015;

D.      On March 31, 2015, pursuant to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act and the Commission’s Rules for Natural Gas Energy Supply Contracts, FEI filed executed gas supply contracts for Summer 2015, including applicable monthly and daily market factors (Application);

E.       FEI requested that the details of the filing be kept confidential for reasons of commercial sensitivity and submits that public disclosure of this information may affect FEI’s ability to secure competitively priced gas supply arrangements in the future; and

F.       The Commission reviewed the natural gas supply contracts, shown in Appendix A of this order, and is satisfied they are appropriate considering market conditions at the time they were negotiated, consistent with the 2014/15 ACP, and in the public interest.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 71 of the Utilities Commission Act and the British Columbia Utilities Commission’s Rules for Natural Gas Energy Supply Contracts, the Commission accepts for filing the natural gas contracts shown in Appendix A to this order. The Commission will hold the details of the Application confidential as requested by FortisBC Energy Inc. to protect commercially sensitive information.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this          24^th               day of April 2015.

                                                                                                                                BY ORDER

Original signed by:

D. Morton

                                                                                                                                Commissioner

Attachment

FortisBC Energy Inc.

Natural Gas Commodity Supply Contracts

(April 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015)