BC Hydro is the largest electric utility in the province of BC, Canada, serving around 2 million customers. It is a Crown corporation, owned by the government of BC, and its electricity generation is almost entirely from hydro-electric plants.
Quick facts
From BC Hydro’s 2022 quick facts:
| Number of hydro plants | 30 |
| Length of transmission and distribution lines | 80,000 kms |
| Number of substations | 300+ |
| Average household consumption per year | 10,158 kWh |
| Domestic revenue (fiscal year 2022) | $5.62 billion |
| Number of residential customers | 1,931,041 |
| Domestic electricity sold (all customer classes) | 53,452 GWh |
| Peak demand | 10,787 MW |
BC Hydro’s fiscal year runs from April 1 to the following March 31; for example, fiscal year 2025 is the year from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025
Quick links
- BC Hydro corporate web site
- BC Hydro tariff (all customer classes)
- BCUC decisions on BC Hydro applications
Legal and ownership structure
BC Hydro, formally the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, is a provincial Crown corporation, owned by “the government and people of British Columbia, Canada” according to the utility’s web site.
BC Hydro is created and given legal powers by the Hydro and Power Authority Act, and is regulated by the BCUC.
Operations
BC Hydro is a vertically integrated utility – it generates, transmits and distributes electricity to customers in BC. It breaks its operations into five service regions:
BC Hydro is a winter peaking utility:
BC Hydro serves three main customer groups: residential, commercial (or general service), and industrial (or transmission):
Rates
BC Hydro’s tariff of rates can be found here. The utility’s rates are divided into geographic zones:
