Category: General commentary
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BC 1 Call’s role in infrastructure damage prevention
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The BC government recently proclaimed April as Safe Digging Month. While every month should ideally be a safe digging month, this proclamation is a timely reminder since spring is a common time of year to start construction projects. Using the free BC 1 Call service before you dig can avoid personal injury, infrastructure damage and…
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BC Hydro cost of capital proceeding delayed
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On March 21, 2024, the BCUC approved a request from BC Hydro, allowing the utility to delay submission of its cost of capital application. For most utilities, the BCUC determines the return to shareholders that can be included in rates. This is a fundamental aspect of the “just and reasonable” test for utility rates –…
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Is renewable natural gas “clean”?
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The answer depends on whom you ask. There is no argument that burning renewable natural gas turns methane into carbon dioxide, which is generally released into the atmosphere, and one view is that renewable natural gas is no cleaner than conventional natural gas. Others argue, however, that renewable natural gas is clean, because some sources of the biomethane,…
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Has the BC government changed its energy policy?
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On February 15, 2024, the BC Provincial government updated its energy objectives set out in the Clean Energy Act. This article considers the possible changes to government energy policy signaled by the update. A previous article considered the impact the changes may have on BC Hydro’s rates. In the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, published December…
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BC government updates energy objectives
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On February 15, 2024, the BC Provincial government updated its energy objectives set out in the Clean Energy Act. This article considers the impact the changes may have on BC Hydro’s rates (the government says nothing about rates of other electricity utilities in the province). A second article will consider the possible changes to government…
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Panel reports on causes of BC Hydro’s vault explosion
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On December 14, 2023, a panel appointed by BC Hydro to review the February, 2023 explosion at one of BC Hydro’s underground vaults issued its report. The report is the result of a BCUC direction in July, 2023 that BC Hydro conduct an “independent third-party” investigation into the root cause of the explosion, which caused…