KELOWNA,
BC, July 30, 2024 /CNW/ - FortisBC Energy
Inc. (FortisBC) filed an application today with its regulator, the
British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), for the Okanagan
Capacity Mitigation Project (OCMP). This project is FortisBC's
proposed short-term solution to an expected shortfall of gas in the
Okanagan by the winter of 2026/27, driven by increasing energy
demand in the region from continued population growth, and is in
response to the BCUC decision in December
2023 regarding the approximately 30-kilometre Okanagan
Capacity Upgrade Project.
The OCMP will help meet customers' peak energy demands in the
Okanagan starting in the winter of 2026/27 by developing a
small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and send-out
facility in Kelowna. The facility
will be utilized on the coldest days of the year to ensure
sufficient energy can be provided to customers who rely on gas to
heat their homes and businesses.
Located next to an existing natural gas station on industrial
zoned land owned by FortisBC off Spall Road, north of Harvey Avenue
(Highway 97), the proposed small-scale facility will contain six
horizontal storage tanks with a total capacity of approximately
1,140 cubic metres of LNG upon completion—approximately 1.5 per
cent of the volume capacity of both tanks combined at our
Tilbury facility in Delta, B.C.
All LNG stored at the Kelowna
facility will be produced at FortisBC's Tilbury LNG facility in
Delta, B.C. and loaded into
tankers at the loading facility. No LNG production will take place
at the Kelowna facility and the
tanks are expected to be empty for much of the year.
In the first winter of operation in 2026/27, one mobile tank and
three portable LNG tankers will be filled and staged on site in
anticipation of extreme cold weather events. If the project is
approved, FortisBC plans to begin construction in 2026.
FortisBC is committed to ongoing communication with all affected
residents, municipalities, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities
about the OCMP, and addressing any feedback or questions that may
arise.
To learn more about the OCMP, and to stay up to date on the
project, visit the project webpage at talkingenergy.ca/okanagan.
Alternatively, interested parties can connect with us directly via
email at okanagancapacity@fortisbc.com or reach us by phone at
1-888-592-7704.
Quotes:
The Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project will
help ensure we can provide energy to existing and new customers in
the region over the short-term while we continue forecasting and
planning towards a longer-term solution in the years ahead."
- Doug Slater, vice president, Indigenous relations
and regulatory affairs
FortisBC.com
@fortisbc
About FortisBC
FortisBC Energy Inc. is a regulated
utility focused on providing safe and reliable energy, including
natural gas, Renewable Natural Gas and propane. FortisBC Energy
Inc. employs around 2,096 British Columbians and serves
approximately 1,075,595 customers across British Columbia. FortisBC Energy Inc. owns
and operates approximately 51,174 kilometres of gas transmission
and distribution pipelines. FortisBC Energy Inc. is a subsidiary of
Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and
gas utility industry. FortisBC Energy Inc. uses the FortisBC name
and logo under license from Fortis Inc. For further information on
FortisBC, visit fortisbc.com. For further information on Fortis
Inc., visit fortisinc.com.
Backgrounder
In December
2023, the British Columbia Utilities Commission directed
FortisBC to examine potential short-term mitigation solutions for
an expected energy shortfall in the Okanagan, following its
decision regarding the Okanagan Capacity Upgrade Project. This
included the development of a plan to provide sufficient peak
demand to the Interior Transmission System in the event of a 1 in
20-year cold weather event occurring as early as winter of 2026/27.
The plan was ordered to be filed for review no later than
July 31, 2024.
SOURCE FortisBC Energy Inc.