B.C.’s natural geography and public policies have contributed to the establishment of hydro as the province’s largest source of electricity. Biomass was the second largest source of electricity, mainly consuming wood waste from the forestry, and pulp and paper industries. This is the highest biomass share of any province or territory in Canada.
British Columbia has a vertically integrated electricity market. The majority of the province is served by the provincial utility BC Hydro. Independent power producers may provide power to incumbent utilities under power purchase agreements.
The market covers the province of British Columbia and is interconnected with the province of Alberta to the east and the state of Washington to the south.
The British Columbia Utilities Commission is responsible for setting electricity rates. Nodal pricing does not exist in British Columbia except for at interconnections with neighboring regions.
There is no liquid market for buyers to hedge price risk in British Columbia.
Consumers receive power from their local utility (the utility covering the geographic area in which the load is located). The majority of British Columbia is served by the provincial utility BC Hydro.
Retail choice is not available in British Columbia.
In general, a bill can be broken into three components: generation, transmission and distribution. In a vertically integrated market, these costs reflect the local cost of the utility.
Renewable generation is often certified and tracked using RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates). One REC is issued for every MWh of eligible renewable energy that is delivered to the electric grid. A REC contains unique identifying details of the energy generated, including the renewable fuel type, project name and location, the vintage of the project and the generation, and serial number.
Within British Columbia, the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS) is used to track generation ownership and attributes.
How are RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) procured? N/A
Are renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) available? No
Are Green Tariffs available? No
System Operator:
Key Government Departments:
Regulators:
Hydro