ORDER NUMBER
R-29-17
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
Dokie General Partnership
Application to Change Registration required for Compliance with
Mandatory Reliability Standards
BEFORE:
W. M. Everett, QC, Commissioner
on April 28, 2017
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On April 13, 2017, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), acting as the Administrator for the British Columbia Mandatory Reliability Standards Program (BC MRS Program), issued a Recommendation for Deregistration (Recommendation) of Dokie General Partnership (DGP) for the functions of Transmission Owner (TO) and Transmission Operator (TOP);
B. Section 125.2 of the Utilities Commission Act (UCA) assigns exclusive jurisdiction to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) to determine whether a “reliability standard,” as defined in the UCA, is in the public interest and should be adopted in BC;
C. Ministerial Order M039, also referred to as the Mandatory Reliability Standards Regulation (MRS Regulation), deposited February 23, 2009, described the parties subject to reliability standards adopted under section 125.2(6) of the UCA and on June 4, 2009, the Commission issued Order G-67-09 specifying that entities subject to reliability standards must register with the Commission;
D. In accordance with the Administration Agreement between WECC and the Commission, dated September 8, 2009 and renewed August 21, 2014, WECC makes registration recommendations in its role as Administrator for the BC MRS Program;
E. The Registration Manual, approved by Commission Order G-123-09 and amended by Commission Order R‑12-17, requires an entity to notify WECC of any change in circumstance affecting its registration and allows the Entity 21 days to respond to any registration recommendation issued by WECC;
F. By Order G-82-11 dated May 5, 2011, the Commission approved the registration of DGP for the functions of Generator Owner (GO), Generator Operator (GOP), TO and TOP with the BC MRS Program;
G. On July 17, 2014, by Order R-32-14, the Commission adopted Reliability Standards FAC-001-1, FAC-003-3, PRC-004-2.1a and PRC-005-1.1b that require a GO and GOP to assume compliance responsibilities for TO and TOP requirements for the transmission line that connects generation to the Bulk Electric System. Commission Order R‑32-14 also specified BC effective dates for each reliability standard, the last of which was August 1, 2015 for FAC-003-3;
H. On November 17, 2015, the UCA was amended to repeal sections 125.2(8) and 125.2(9) concerning the applicability of reliability standards and include updated sections 125.2(8) and 125.2(9), pursuant to which, the Commission may, by order, specify that a reliability standard adopted under the UCA applies or does not apply to a specified person, a class of persons or a person in respect of specified equipment;
I. In consideration of the compliance requirements of the four reliability standards applicable to a GO and GOP noted in Recital G above, DGP requested that WECC review its registration with the BC MRS Program;
J. WECC reviewed the DGP facilities and issued the Recommendation noting that deregistering DGP as a TO and TOP would be consistent with entity registration practice in the United States;
K. On April 24, 2017, DGP informed the Commission that it accepts WECC’s Recommendation; and
L. The Commission reviewed the Recommendation and considers deregistration of DGP for the TO and TOP functions is warranted.
NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 125.2(10) of the UCA and in accordance with the Registration Manual that is Appendix 1 to the Rules of Procedure for Reliability Standards in British Columbia, the Commission approves that DGP be deregistered for the TO and TOP functions with the BC MRS Program.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 28th day of April 2017.
BY ORDER
Original Signed By:
W. M. Everett, QC
Commissioner