Orders

ORDER NUMBER

F-46-20

IN THE MATTER OF

the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473

and

Boralex Ocean Falls Limited Partnership

Application for Approval of Rates and Terms and Conditions for Service to British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Participant Assistance/Cost Award Application

BEFORE:

B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair

W. M. Everett, QC, Commissioner

R. I. Mason, Commissioner

on December 7, 2020

ORDER

WHEREAS:

A.      British Columbia Old Age Pensioners’ Organization et al. (BCOAPO) has made application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) in this proceeding for a Participant Assistance/Cost Award (PACA) with respect to their participation in this proceeding;

B.      On September 30, 2019, Boralex Ocean Falls Limited Partnership (Boralex) applied to the BCUC for approval of interim and permanent rates for service to British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) for the period of July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, terms and conditions for service to BC Hydro and the First Nations relationship building deferral account (Application). The Application is made pursuant to Orders G-143-19 and G-202-19;

C.      By Order G-265-19 dated October 31, 2019, the BCUC established a public hearing and a regulatory timetable for the review of the Application. The regulatory timetable was updated by Orders G-3-20, G‑37‑20 and G-142-20. The regulatory process included two rounds of BCUC and Intervener information requests and written final and reply arguments;

D.      The following parties registered as interveners: BC Hydro; BCOAPO; Nuxalk Nation; and Zone 1B Ratepayers Group;

E.       By Order G-270-20 dated October 27, 2020, the BCUC ordered, among other things, that Boralex is approved to recover on a permanent basis the rates for electric service to BC Hydro for the period July 1, 2019 to December 31, 2022, subject to the adjustments resulting from the directives and determinations contained in Order G-270-20 and the Decision issued concurrently;

F.        BCOAPO, by letter dated August 31 2020, filed the following application to the BCUC for PACA with respect to their participation in this proceeding:

G.      By email dated November 16, 2020, Boralex provided its comments on the PACA application, stating it takes no position on BCOAPO’s PACA application and

H.      The BCUC has reviewed BCOAPO’s PACA application in accordance with the criteria and rates set out in the PACA Guidelines, attached to Order G-97-17, and concludes that the cost award should be approved.

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 118(1) of the Utilities Commission Act, the BCUC orders as follows:

1.       Funding is awarded to the following intervener in the listed amounts for their participation in the proceeding:

2.       Boralex is directed to reimburse the above-noted participant for the awarded amount in a timely manner.

DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this            7th            day of December 2020.

BY ORDER

Original Signed By:

B. A. Magnan

Commissioner