Category: General commentary

BC Hydro’s third quarter financial results are out. The promise of limiting bill increases to 2.3 percent for the next four years is looking distinctly shaky. Editor’s note: Since this article was published, the government has announced that BC Hydro’s rates will increase an average of 3.75 percent annually for two years. This article was…

The BC Utilities Commission has deregulated many thermal energy systems and strengthened consumer protection. It could have gone a bit further, though. Introduction The BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) regulates energy utilities in BC, albeit with varying degrees of enthusiasm these days. The Utilities Commission Act has a broad definition of what must be regulated, and…

The delay was not justified, and would have undermined recent improvements in BC Hydro’s planning process. The BCUC was right to reject the request. On February 20 BC Hydro, the province’s largest electricity utility, applied to the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) for a one-year delay in the submission of its next integrated resource plan. I…

The 2024 Report was due in June last year. What could be holding it up? As I reported in July last year, the government still owes us the Climate Change Accountability Report for 2024. The Climate Change Accountability Act says that the minister “must” publish the 2024 Report by June 30, 2024. Even today, the…

Today’s rate design is being phased out to encourage the transition to a cleaner economy. Most BC Hydro residential customers, especially those on low incomes, will pay more as a result. Introduction Rate designs are among the most important and influential decisions made by the BCUC. They don’t happen often (BC Hydro’s last comprehensive rate…

Well, that’s a shocker – BC Hydro wants an extra year to develop its next long-term plan. Approving the request is a bad idea, but the BCUC will probably do it anyway. Background In its decision approving BC Hydro’s 2021 Integrated Resource Plan in March 2024, the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) directed the utility to…

The City’s allegation that transmission facilities are trespassing on a highway is unlikely to succeed. Surrey taxpayers and BC Hydro’s ratepayers will pay the cost of proving this point. Growing pains The City of Surrey is a fast-growing municipality in Vancouver’s lower mainland with a population of around 700 thousand people, expected to exceed one…

A combination of planned increases in the carbon tax and the use of renewable natural gas will test the minister of energy’s ability to meet his new energy affordability mandate. Introduction At the start of the year, Fortis, BC’s largest gas distribution utility, announced that gas bills for the majority of its residential customers will…

BC Hydro’s latest call for clean power is being trumpeted as a success. But the energy is going to be expensive, and there are concerns it won’t be available soon enough. Note: On February 12, BC Hydro announced the cost of its clean power call. The actual cost is at the end of this article.…

The energy minister’s new marching orders have different priorities than a year ago, and may reflect a new degree of realism in the face of financial constraints. Introduction On January 16, 2025, BC cabinet ministers received their “mandate letters” from the premier; public statements of his expectations of them and their ministries. Mandate letters are…