BC Power Symposium

• The status of BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan
  • Current direction of the plan
  • Anticipated the filing date
  • How will renewable energy targets be met?
• Strategies to manage regulatory uncertainty while policy shifts are taking place
• Examining the status of the Standing Offer Program (SOP) for small scale power purchase agreements
• The status of cost allocation and rate design
  • Implications of a reduced operating budget
  • How goals will be met in light of rate reviews and cuts to proposed increases
  • How this will affect power producers and consumers?
    The impact on energy self-sufficiency

• IPP projects status update and outlook on domestic market and policies
• Domestic electricity supply, including: status of IPP projects
  • Operating
  • Under construction
  • Getting final permitting and financing
  • Contracted
  • Applications Received
  • Preparing bids
  • Under development
  • Sites Identified
• Domestic Demand: Forecasting new sources of demand especially several quickly growing industrial sectors
• Status of key policies/programs/projects affecting electricity procurement including: GHG reduction, First Nations involvement, and major transmission expansions like the Northwest and Northeast Transmission Line projects

Additional speakers to be announced

• How is the power sector equipped to keep up with increasing demand from natural gas and mining operations?
• Plans to increase activities in the short and long term
• How current requirements are being met
• How much is load expected to increase?
• Understanding the cost of powering new operations
  • Assessing the pros and cons of self-generation vs. building new transmission to obtain power from the grid
  • How would increases in natural gas prices affect the attractiveness of self-generation?
  • Is self-generation a viable long term option?
• How will increased demands impact the need for renewable energy development in Northern BC?
  • What new opportunities are predicted for independent power producers?
    
    

• How changes in government policy and the direction of the Integrated Resource Plan have impacted BC Hydro’s capital planning
• Understanding the implications of BC’s forecasted load on investment planning for the coming years
• Understanding the merits and shortcomings of existing transmission and distribution systems in BC
  • Addressing aging assets
  • Current resource constraints on the system
• Short and long term plans for transmission upgrades and development
  • Plans for repairing the existing grid
  • Grid expansion strategy
  • The status of the North East Transmission Line, the North West Transmission Line and the Interior Lower Mainland Transmission Project
• Opportunities and obstacles for getting transmission built, in terms of:
  • Planning, permitting, contracting/procuring, constructing and upgrading transmission lines
• Considerations for the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources – ensuring grid connectivity for projects awarded power purchase agreements in the last call for power

• An overview of the project’s accomplishments to date
  • Obtaining Power Purchase Agreement with BC Hydro in the 2008 call for power
  • Acquiring contracts
  • Overcoming obstacles encountered during the permitting
    

• Examining the impact of independently produced power on electricity rates in the province
• Balancing current electricity rates with investment needs for future resources
• The benefits of BC Hydro building its own power plants vs. delegating this to private developers

• Examining the impact of independently produced power on electricity rates in the province
• Balancing current electricity rates with investment needs for future resources
• The benefits of BC Hydro building its own power plants vs. delegating this to private developers

• Understanding North American power markets and how BC fits into the bigger picture
• Looking at power pricing across North America
• Market fluctuations due to
  • Changing economic factors
  • Governmental incentive programs
  • Natural gas supply and pricing
  • Renewable energy supply
  • Current and forecasted load demand
• An overview of power demand in the Pacific Northwest
  • The current load and forecasted increases
    
• Examining power export policy within BC
• Overcoming issues associated with merchant transmission access
• The effects of the British Columbia Utilities Commission’s review of transmission access

• Overview of current and forthcoming RFP's for renewable energy resources
• Opportunities for clean power producers in BC
• What measures are being taken to facilitate independently produced power exports in BC
  • The status of transmission developments between BC and Washington State
  • I-5 Corridor reinforcement strategy
• Assessing opportunities presented by renewable energy credit (REC) markets in the US and how renewable energy producers in BC can capitalize on this
• Assessing the competitiveness of BC as an attractive import product in terms of:
  • Price
  • Reliability
  • Compliance with REC guidelines in the US
• Updates on American climate change regulations that will impact power purchasing and production
• Dealing with the “over generation” issues in the Northwest US
  • How will it impact BC?
• The effects of shale gas abundance on power pricing north and south of the border on
  

• The merits and shortcomings of the existing transmission system servicing BC and the Western US
• Current status of the Juan de Fuca Cable Project
• Approvals obtained, including FERC, National Energy Board, U.S. Department of Energy
• Understanding how the completion of this project will impact transmission capacity between Vancouver Island and Washington State, as well as the Western Interconnect more broadly
• How will this translate into opportunities for power producers and consumers on both sides of the border

• Technological changes to encourage energy efficiency
• Measurements taken to meet BC’s aggressive demand side management targets
• Examining the progress of Power Smart programs impacting residential, commercial and industrial consumers
  • What incentives are there for consumers to conserve?
• How are conservation efforts contributing to BC’s mandate to become a clean energy powerhouse?
• Assessing whether demand side management is a viable alternative to new supply
  • What are the relative costs of each?
• Determining which types of energy conservation and efficiency should be pursued to yield the best results

• Progress to date on BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Initiative (SMI)
  • Implementation to date
  • Obstacles encountered
  • Timelines for project completion
• Ensuring adherence to privacy laws and overcoming concerns about personal privacy invasion
• Overcoming public opposition to the smart metering program
• Measures being taken to enhance the customer experience
• Developing effective customer support programs
  • Assessing the impact of current initiatives on overall system function and efficiencies
  • Cost-benefit analysis – will Smart Meters pay off in the long run?

• Exploring the City of Vancouver’s first low-carbon district energy system in Southeast Falls Creek
  • Scope
  • Technology
  • Objectives
• Expanding low-carbon district energy to other neighbourhoods
  • Lessons learned from other jurisdictions
  • Opportunity consideration conditions
  • Legacy steam systems
  • New DE nodes
  • City-wide strategy

• Understanding the challenges associated with the execution of public engagement strategies and stakeholder consultation
  • Avoiding project opposition – Getting to the root cause of problems encountered
  • Devising innovative strategies to overcome any issues
  • Learning from your successes and tribulations and applying lessons learned to strategic planning for future projects
• Examining the role of social licensing in maintaining the confidence of shareholders and the public at large
• Best practices in effective use of social media and digital media campaigns as part of your communications efforts
• Looking at real world examples – Assessing how strategic public engagement methods have influenced the success of energy projects
• Understanding the environmental assessment process in British Columbia
• EAO Fairness and service code
• Environmental assessment process
• Key strategies to move projects forward efficiently
  • Project planning
  • First Nations consultation
  • Public consultation
  • Government agencies
  • Preparing an application
  • Identifying and avoiding effects
    

• EV market outlook – Looking at technological developments and timelines for the
• Current initiatives to facilitate the use of electric vehicles in the province
• Establishing guidelines and incentives for the development of EV charging infrastructure in residential and commercial buildings
• Addressing challenges associated with retrofitting existing buildings with EV charging infrastructure
• How the long-term increased reliance on EVs will impact electricity loads in urban centers and the need to augment generation capacity in the province
• The role of Smart Grid technologies and “time of use” metering in the management of load impacts caused by the charging of EVs
• The effects of EV market growth on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the province