2013 Bulletin Index
We periodically post bulletins here to inform customers of developments within BC Hydro Transmission and/or the industry and/or to solicit feedback on policy changes. These announcements can be time sensitive, so please subscribe for the updates.
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Our Transmission Scheduling bulletins for 2013 are listed below. Select another year to the right to view bulletins from the archive.
View the 2013 bulletins
January - April
5L94 Outage
Posted on April 29, 4:08 p.m.
There appears to be a discrepancy between the Annual Outage Plan and the Planned Transmission Outages with Approved Status (Two Weeks Window) webpage. The 5L94/1201L continuous outage starting on April 30 at 8:00 a.m. PPT and ending at May 12 at 4:00 p.m. PPT is proceeding as scheduled. Path 1 (W>E) BC to AB will be de-rated to 50 MW and Path 1 (E>W) AB to BC will be de-rated to 100 MW as set out in the Annual Outage Plan. We apologize for the confusion and will work on rectifying the discrepancy.
2013 Open Access Transmission Tariff Amendments Application
Posted on April 23, 1:09 p.m.
On April 19, 2013, the BCUC issued Order No. G-59-13 approving BC Hydro's application to amend the Open Access Transmission Tariff (Application) dated February 19, 2013. The Order amends BC Hydro's Loss Compensation Service to implement a price floor of $0/MWh on Loss Compensation Service sold to customers. Directive 2 of Order G-59-13 directs BC Hydro to establish a 15-day window during which customers that have elected to take Loss Compensation Service from BC Hydro may elect to opt-out of RS 09 and self-supply transmission losses.
BC Hydro advises that this window is now open. Transmission Customers electing to change their election for the current year must upload the Losses Supply Election Form by May 8th, 2013 on the BC Hydro Customer portal, otherwise BC Hydro will deem the customer to have elected to purchase Loss Compensation Service from BC Hydro.
The proceeding documents are available on the BCUC's proceeding webpage. A copy of the Application, including clean and blacklined versions of the amended RS 09 tariff pages, is also available on BC Hydro's public website.
2013 Network Economy Meeting
Posted on April 19, 3:12 p.m.
Pursuant to British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) Order No. G-127-06, Appendix 1 (the "Settlement Agreement"), the BCUC directed BC Hydro, then BCTC, to convene annual Network Economy Meetings to discuss, on a "without prejudice" basis issues arising with respect to the use of Network Economy. A standing agenda item for these meetings is to review the use of, and continued requirement for, a different Trigger Price (as defined in Section 1, Attachment Q) for the November to February period.
For the last few years, BC Hydro solicited customer feedback to determine whether or not there was an interest to hold the annual meeting; there was a lack of interest in all years. However, in 2009 it was suggested that a meeting may not be necessary if BC Hydro prepared an annual Network Economy report showing trends and statistics along with explanations for the figures. Notwithstanding, it was requested that the requirement for an annual meeting remain in place. Subsequently, BC Hydro applied to the BCUC to not hold the Network Economy Annual Meeting in 2009 and to instead post an annual Network Economy report in lieu of holding the meeting, which was approved by the BCUC.
In 2010, BC Hydro requested permission from the BCUC to, again, not hold an annual Network Economy Meeting. Pursuant to BCUC Letter No. L-45-10 [PDF, 1.3 MB], BC Hydro is only expected to convene an annual Network Economy Meeting if customers of BC Hydro expressly ask for a meeting by way of a letter to BC Hydro with a copy to the BCUC.
On April 12, 2013, BC Hydro filed its 2012 Network Economy Annual Report [PDF, 547 KB] pursuant to section 11 of the Settlement Agreement and reported to the Commission on the results of its historical analysis of the error noted in the Network Economy bulletin posted on April 3, 2013. BC Hydro's analysis shows that while the results of the economic test for Network Economy Service were incorrect in certain hours due to incorrect data being inadvertently used in the calculation, there were no interruptions to non-firm transmission service due to Network Economy Service during those hours. As stated in the 2012 Network Economy Annual Report to the Commission (Appendix 5), the Network Economy Meeting would be an appropriate forum for interested parties to raise concerns with the error in the economic test and BC Hydro's historical analysis.
BC Hydro is pleased to post its Network Economy Annual Report to Transmission Customers [PDF, 828 KB]. If, after reviewing the report, you believe an annual meeting is required, please send your letter to Brenda Ambrosi and copy the BCUC by May 6, 2013.
Loss Compensation Results – April 19, 2013
Posted on April 18, 3:15 p.m.
BC Hydro is experiencing technical difficulties which has impacted the posting of the Loss Compensation Actuals for April 19, 2013. Therefore we are posting the results for April 19, 2013 [XLS, 24 KB] to lessen the inconvenience to customers. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
NE Test Results – April 20, 21 and 22, 2013
Posted on April 18, 1:01 p.m.
BC Hydro is experiencing technical difficulties which has impacted the posting of the Network Economy Test Results for April 20, 21 and 22, 2013. Therefore we are posting the results for April 20 [XLS, 35 KB], April 21 [XLS, 35 KB] and April 22 [XLS, 35 KB] to lessen the inconvenience to customers. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
NE Test Results – April 19 and 20, 2013
Posted on April 17, 3:16 p.m.
BC Hydro is experiencing technical difficulties which has impacted the posting of the Network Economy Test Results for April 19 and 20, 2013. Therefore we are posting the results for April 19 [XLS, 35 KB] and April 20 [XLS, 35 KB] to lessen the inconvenience to customers. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Firm to Non-Firm Redirects
Posted on April 17, 1:02 p.m.
In mid-August 2012, BC Hydro received customer inquiries about its practice of not releasing ATC as a postback when a Firm to Non-Firm Redirect is done. BC Hydro reviewed its practices and determined that it would be in the best interest of the wholesale market to implement this functionality, which would also align with industry practice. BC Hydro confirms that as of March 6, 2013, this functionality has been implemented within its scheduling system software. As a result, ATC will increment in OASIS when a Firm to Non-Firm Redirect is done. Conversely, ATC will decrement when a customer exercises its transmission rights and relinquishes back to the original path subsequent to its Firm to Non-Firm Redirect. In such a case, the third party that purchased the ATC from the Redirect will be economically interrupted when a customer exercises these transmission rights.
BC Hydro has reviewed its Business Practices and determined that one minor clarification to its Business Practices is needed to reflect this change. The draft amendment to the Posting of Transmission Service Offerings [PDF, 429 KB] Business Practice is available for review and comment. Please provide any comments on the proposed Business Practice amendment to Brenda Ambrosi by May 1, 2013. Unless BC Hydro determines that further process is required as a result of customer comments, BC Hydro will post its final Business Practice by May 3, 2013.
Network Economy
Posted on April 12, 3:21 p.m.
BC Hydro filed its 2012 Network Economy Annual Report [PDF, 1.3 MB] and reported to the Commission on the results of its historical analysis of the error noted in the Network Economy bulletin posted on April 3, 2013. BC Hydro's analysis shows that while the results of the economic test for Network Economy Service were incorrect in certain hours due to incorrect data being inadvertently used in the calculation, there were no interruptions to non-firm transmission service due to Network Economy Service during those hours.
Network Economy
Posted on April 3, 3:17 p.m.
BC Hydro recently received an inquiry from a market participant regarding the economic test results for Network Economy Service that are posted hourly as described in BC Hydro's Network Economy Business Practice [PDF, 547 KB]. BC Hydro has determined that there was an error in the data used to calculate the "Trigger Price," which is a component of the economic test. The correct data is now reflected in the posted economic test results for Network Economy Service as of March 30, 2013. BC Hydro is conducting a historical analysis to determine any impacts arising from the error and will update market participants on the results when they become available.
Loss Compensation Results – April 3, 2013
Posted on April 2, 3:20 p.m.
BC Hydro is experiencing technical difficulties which has impacted the posting of the Loss Compensation Actuals for April 3, 2013. Therefore we are posting the results for April 3, 2013 [XLS, 35 KB] to lessen the inconvenience to customers. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
FY2014 OATT Rates effective April 1, 2013
Posted on March 27, 3:21 p.m.
Further to the bulletin entitled BCUC Order G-77-12 Approves OATT Rates posted on June 14, 2012. Please note the FY2014 OATT Rates 00, 01 and 03 will be effective April 1, 2013. The FY2014 rates are viewable using the link below. http://transmission.bchydro.com/regulatory_filings/tariff/tariff_documents/open_access_tariff.htm
Extended Windows for Good Friday
Posted on March 18, 1:02 p.m.
BC Hydro is pleased to visually clarify the opening of extended windows [DOC, 46 KB] for purchasing transmission for Good Friday, March 29, 2013 and the new month on Monday, April 1, 2013.
Long Term PTP Transmission Queue
Posted on March 8, 3:35 p.m.
The Long Term PTP Transmission Queue [PDF, 98 KB] has been updated. Previous versions of the updates have been archived and can be viewed at Archived LTPTP Transmission Queue Updates page.
OASIS Outage for Emergency Maintenance – March 7, 2013 8:00pm PPT – 9:30pm PPT
Posted on March 7, 3:24 p.m.
OATI has scheduled an emergency system maintenance to be performed on March 07, 2013, during the window of 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. PPT. As a result of the outage, OASIS will be unavailable for the entire duration of the outage. No TSRs can be created, modified or delivered to the scheduling systems. Additionally, no OASIS postings will be available, such as Transmission Offerings, System Data or Messages. If a curtailment event is implemented during this outage, TSR Limits and the associated security post will not be delivered to OASIS; however, the eTag curtailment actions will be sent to webTag (ETS).
It is recommended that the submittal of TSRs for the outage period be done in advance of the outage period. Work-Around for Real-time BC Hydro requires TSRs be faxed to it at 604 455 1842 on its Transmission Service Fax Request Form [PDF, 98 KB], but Transmission Customers must follow up with a telephone call to the real-time office at 604 455 1705 at which time the interchange scheduler will confirm whether or not the TSR is approved. The real-time office will only accept faxes on the last ATC posting on OASIS. Changes to ATC during the outage will not be provided by real-time.
BC Hydro will advise Transmission Customers via bulletin if the OASIS outage concludes earlier than anticipated
2013 Open Access Transmission Tariff Amendments Application
Posted on March 6, 3:12 p.m.
On February 28, 2013, the BCUC established a regulatory process to review BC Hydro's application to amend the Open Access Transmission Tariff (Application) dated February 19, 2013. The proceeding documents, including BC Hydro's application and the BCUC's Order G-27-13 (Order) are available on the BCUC's proceeding webpage.
The regulatory timetable is included as appendix A to the Order. The BCUC is seeking comments from customers and interested parties on the application by Friday March 29, 2013. A copy of the application is also available on BC Hydro's public website.
2013 Open Access Transmission Tariff Amendments Application
Posted on February 22, 1:00 p.m.
On February 19, 2013 BC Hydro filed proposed amendments to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT) with the British Columbia Utilities Commission for approval.
The application considers three categories of amendments to the OATT as follows:
- Amendments to Rate Schedule 09 – Loss Compensation Service, including an extension of the expiry date from March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2018
- Amendments to Attachment K in response to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order No. 1000 regarding transmission planning
- Amendments to the OATT terms and conditions of a housekeeping or miscellaneous nature
The application is available on http://www.bchydro.com/planning_regulatory/regulatory.html
BCH Transmission Outages – Home Page
Posted on February 5, 3:11 p.m.
Further to the bulletin posted on January 16, 2013, "BCH Transmission Home Page Updated", and the previously posted "Notice" content on the Transmission Outages – Home page:
The new Annual Outage Plan format is now in effect, with implementation on February 4, 2013. Please see the new plan posting and notes on the Transmission Outages - Home page.
Extended Windows for Presidents' Day
Posted on February 4, 3:24 p.m.
BC Hydro is pleased to visually clarify the opening of the extended windows [DOC, 46 KB] for purchasing transmission for Presidents' Day, Monday, February 18, 2013.
2013 Consolidated OATT Application
Posted on January 21, 3:15 p.m.
BC Hydro is seeking comments on amendments that it is considering making to its Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT). BC Hydro will take into account any customer input received before finalizing the amendments that it proposes to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for approval.
BC Hydro is considering three categories of amendments to the OATT as follows:
- Loss Compensation Service (LCS): BC Hydro is considering two amendments to the LCS provisions in Rate Schedule 09 (RS 09) of its OATT. The first would extend the termination date of RS 09 from March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2018. The second would implement a price floor of $0/MWh on LCS energy sold to customers.
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order No. 1000: BC Hydro is considering amendments to Attachment K – Transmission Planning of its OATT in response to the FERC Order No. 1000 in order to align BC Hydro's OATT with the FERC pro forma tariff in regard to transmission planning requirements. These amendments would clarify how BC Hydro's Attachment K meets several requirements of FERC Order No. 1000, and why certain elements of FERC 1000 are either not applicable or not practical in B.C.
- Housekeeping Amendments: BC Hydro is considering correcting minor typographical errors and better aligning its OATT with its business practice for the scheduling of Non-Firm Transmission.
The following sections summarize the amendments BC Hydro is proposing subject to comments from interested parties.
Black-lined versions of affected tariff pages can be found:
- Rate Schedule 09 – Loss Compensation Service [PDF, 16 KB]
- FERC Order No. 1000 [PDF, 39 KB]
- Housekeeping Items 1 [PDF, 19 KB]
- Housekeeping Items 2 [PDF, 258 KB]
Please advise BC Hydro of any comments by February 4, 2013.
Rate Schedule 09 – Loss Compensation Service (LCS):
Background
LCS provides transmission customers an option to buy losses associated with Point to Point transmission service under BC Hydro's OATT from BC Hydro. Although provision of LCS is not required by FERC in order to maintain compatibility with FERC's pro forma open access transmission tariff, BC Hydro continues to support the services for the benefit of its OATT customers.
By providing or having provided an amount of energy equivalent to transmission losses, BC Hydro ensures that energy at a Point of Receipt on the transmission system is equal to the energy at a Point of Delivery on the system. BC Hydro's OATT customers have the option of electing to take LCS from BC Hydro or to self‑supply their losses.
LCS Termination Date
RS 09 will expire on March 1, 2013. BC Hydro proposes that the LCS termination date in RS 09 be extended for a five‑year period to March 1, 2018. A five year extension period would not prevent BC Hydro or its transmission customers from applying to the BCUC to change the rate, if necessary, prior to 2018.
The LCS termination date was extended in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2012. BC Hydro proposes that the termination date in RS 09 be extended for a longer period of five years.
Price Floor
Pricing for LCS energy is determined by whether there is transmission congestion on the U.S. to B.C. intertie. In a given hour if the U.S. to B.C. intertie is not congested[1], LCS pricing is based on Mid-C market prices. If the U.S. to B.C. intertie is congested, LCS pricing is based on the Alberta Electric System Operator's (AESO) hourly Alberta pool price.
In the absence of a price floor during such market conditions, BC Hydro would be paying customers for the LCS energy they consume during negative market pricing. This would increase the opportunity cost to BC Hydro of providing LCS energy. The $0/MWh price floor will help mitigate the opportunity cost to BC Hydro when market prices are below $0/MWh.
2. FERC Order No. 1000:
Background
Transmission planning was addressed by FERC in Order No. 890, which required transmission providers under FERC's jurisdiction to document, in Attachment K of their open access transmission tariffs, a transmission planning process that satisfied nine planning principles. FERC Order No. 1000 builds on the foundation of FERC Order No. 890. In particular, FERC Order No. 1000 develops planning process requirements related to regional planning, public policy requirements, non-incumbent developers, interregional coordination and cost allocation.
Regional Planning
FERC Order No. 1000 requires transmission providers to adopt a planning process that requires participation in a regional transmission planning process that produces a regional transmission plan for transmission and non-transmission projects.
The planning process outlined in Attachment K is the same process, whether it is applied at the local or regional level. BC Hydro therefore believes that no amendments are required to its Attachment K to ensure comparability with the FERC pro forma tariff as related to the regional planning requirements of FERC Order No. 1000. However, BC Hydro is proposing two minor amendments to clarify that in a regional planning process a transmission plan would be developed that would include projects that meet regional needs and opportunities.
Public Policy Requirements
FERC Order No. 1000 requires transmission providers to consider transmission needs driven by public policy requirements established by statutes and regulations at the state or federal level.
BC Hydro's existing Attachment K currently provides for a process in which transmission needs driven by public policy can be proposed and considered similar to any other transmission need. In addition, BC Hydro undertakes Integrated Resource Planning as mandated by the Clean Energy Act, in which provincial public policy requirements have been made explicit.
As such, BC Hydro believes that there is an existing legislative process to ensure that planning meets public policy requirements. However, to provide further clarity, BC Hydro is proposing amendments to sections 2, 4.1, 5.1 and 7.1 of Attachment K to specifically identify public policy requirements.
Non-Incumbent Developers
FERC Order No. 1000 requires that the regional planning process provide non incumbent transmission providers with a comparable opportunity to own and operate regional transmission facilities. However, in B.C. there is nothing similar to the federal rights of first refusal in favour of incumbent transmission providers that is found in the U.S. and therefore BC Hydro is not proposing any amendments to Attachment K in relation to non-incumbent developers.
Interregional Coordination
FERC Order No. 1000 adopts reforms aimed at improving interregional coordination. Transmission providers must coordinate with the public utility transmission providers in each neighbouring transmission planning region within its interconnection to address transmission planning coordination issues related to interregional transmission facilities. The compliance date for U.S. transmission providers to adopt the inter- regional planning coordination requirements of FERC Order No. 1000 is April 11, 2013.
BC Hydro participates in various Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) planning committees and the British Columbia Coordinated Planning Group (BCCPG) also participates in Inter Regional planning activities undertaken by WECC, the western interconnection sub regional planning groups, WECC's Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee, and Sub Regional Coordination Group. The WECC planning processes are open, transparent and coordinated. BC Hydro believes that interregional transmission planning undertaken through WECC and its subgroups as described in Attachment K substantially satisfies FERC's inter-regional coordination requirements. BC Hydro will continue to monitor developments with WECC as the compliance date approaches and will apply to amend its Attachment K if necessary. At this time, however, BC Hydro does not anticipate that any amendments to Attachment K related to interregional coordination.
Cost Allocation
FERC Order No. 1000 requires that a transmission provider include in its open access transmission tariff a method or methods for allocating the costs of new transmission facilities selected in the regional transmission plan. The order also requires a method or methods for allocating the costs of a new interregional transmission facility between neighbouring transmission planning regions in which the facility is located or among the beneficiaries.
BC Hydro is proposing not to adopt any cost allocation methods in its Attachment K for a number of reasons.
- The BCUC has sole jurisdiction overall all transmission projects within B.C. and all cost allocation through utility rates in the Province must be through rates approved by the BCUC.
- Based on the regulatory process in B.C., BC Hydro believes it is more appropriate for the cost allocation of a regional transmission project, if necessary, to be proposed at the time the project is brought forward to the BCUC and determined by the BCUC at that time.
- Adoption of cost-allocation rules would require agreement with all members of BCCPG to be effective. BC Hydro, however, is the only transmission provider in B.C. that currently seeks to maintain comparability with FERC's pro forma open access transmission tariff. BC Hydro does not believe that it is practical to expect to reach agreement with all the other members of BCCPG on cost allocation rules in advance of any particular project.
Consequently, BC Hydro proposes to amend its Attachment K to reflect the cost allocation process that is appropriate for the B.C. context. Specifically that interested parties shall seek to agree on a cost‑allocation proposal that would be included in any application to the BCUC for approval of the project.
3. Housekeeping Items:
BC Hydro is proposing that corrections be made to the OATT as summarized in Table 1:
Table 1 OATT Housekeeping Amendments Concordance Table
| Page | Section | Purpose of Change |
|---|---|---|
| OATT Terms and Conditions | ||
| 52 | 18.3 | This better aligns the OATT with BC Hydro's business practice. BC Hydro's business practice states that midnight (12:00 a.m.) is the earliest time that requests for hourly Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission Service Requests (TSRs) may be submitted on the Working Day before service is to commence; however, TSRs submitted between midnight and noon (12:00 p.m.) will be deemed to be received at noon of the Working Day before start of service and will be processed according to their priority in the OASIS queue. BC Hydro's OATT states that TSRs shall be submitted no earlier than noon. The noon time is from FERC's pro forma open access transmission tariff. BC Hydro believes that it is preferable to amend the language in the OATT to replace the TSR submission time of noon with midnight as it provides more flexibility for customers and better facilitates the wholesale marketplace. Once approved by the BCUC, BC Hydro will then amend the language in its business practice to align with the OATT. |
| 60 | 19.9 (b) | This corrects the description of the formula for calculation of the percentage of System Impact Studies that are completed outside the study completion deadlines. The correction changes the formula so that it is based on the number of studies that are not completed, rather than the number of studies that are completed. This is more consistent with the purpose of the section, which is to measure the percentage of studies that are not completed on time. |
| 71 | 28.6 | This corrects a typographical error by changing the reference to the terms and conditions for Network Economy Service to Tariff Supplement No. 80 instead of Tariff Supplement No. 3, which was the British Columbia Transmission Corporation Tariff Supplement for Network Economy. |
| All | All | This corrects a typographical error in the page numbering sequence by renumbering the pages following the Table of Contents so that they start at Page No. 1 instead of Page No. 11. |
| Tariff Supplement No. 80 | ||
| 2 | 3 & 4 | This corrects a typographical error in the paragraph numbering sequence by renumbering the last two paragraphs to 3 and 4 instead of repeating 1 and 2. |
BCH Transmission Home Page Updated
Posted on January 16, 3:13 p.m.
The Transmission Outages and System Outages pages are being updated. The links between pages, and the addresses are changing to reflect a more accurate organization of information and usage. The Transmission Outages home page will now be accessed from the drop down menus on the http://transmission.bchydro.com/home site. This page is considered the main page for most user activities, and so is positioned as such. The former System Outages page has been renamed to System Outages – Historical to reflect the archival aspect of the information provided. Urls have been changed as a result of these actions.
New urls
- Transmission Outages Home
- Current Outages
- Planned Outages With Approved Status (Two Weeks Window)
- System Outages – Historical page
- Further, the Annual Outage Plan url has changed as a result. You may need to update your bookmarks or tools links.
Please see the Transmission Outages home page for information on additional pending changes to the format of the Annual Outage Plan and time-lines for implementation. Thank you.
Extended Windows for Martin Luther King Day
Posted on January 7, 3:19 p.m.
BC Hydro is pleased to visually clarify the opening of the extended windows [DOC, 46 KB] for purchasing transmission for Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 21, 2013.
Long Term PTP Transmission Queue
Posted on January 4, 3:13 p.m.
The Long Term PTP Transmission Queue [PDF, 95 KB] has been revised. Previous versions of the updates have been archived and can be viewed at Archived LTPTP Transmission Queue Updates page.