About Integrated Electricity Planning
What is an Integrated Electricity Plan (IEP)?
An IEP is a long-term plan that outlines how BC Hydro will meet anticipated customer electricity needs over the next 20 years. It realizes BC Hydro's purpose to provide reliable power at low cost for generations by ensuring that future generations can benefit from an abundant supply of clean and green electricity. An IEP enables BC Hydro to ensure that a reliable and cost-effective supply of electricity is available to our customers, while considering key environmental and social issues.
Along with providing context to BC Hydro's business planning activities, the IEP and associated LTAP play a vital role in helping BC Hydro meet our regulatory requirements with the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC).
How is an IEP developed?
The IEP process involves six steps:
- Engage First Nations, stakeholders and the public to elicit and document their preferences and values around electricity planning.
- Develop clear objectives for the IEP (e.g., reliable electricity supply, low cost, low environmental impact, etc.).
- Develop a demand-supply outlook to project how much electricity will be required over the next 20 years and how much electricity can reliably be supplied during that time. During this phase, an assessment is completed to determine how existing resources can be used to meet the projected energy demand and identify any gaps between the projected supply of available energy and customer demand.
- Identify and describe new sources of energy (called "resource options") that can be used to fill the gap between projected demand and supply.
- Assess and evaluate various combinations (called "portfolios") of resource options and identify a preferred portfolio that best meets the IEP objectives outlined in step 2.
- Create a short-term action plan and a Long-Term Acquisition Plan (LTAP) for acquiring the resources associated with the preferred portfolio.
In developing an IEP, BC Hydro has elicited and considered the values of First Nations, stakeholders and the public, and factored in situations and challenges that could affect the plan, such as a dynamic energy market, provincial energy policy and changing utility regulations.
Why does BC Hydro need an IEP?
The Integrated Electricity Plan is a vital part of BC Hydro's business planning and regulatory processes. The IEP enables BC Hydro to:
- ensure a reliable, affordable and environmentally conscious way to meet future customer electricity needs;
- confirm that current electricity supply options - such as Power Smart and private-sector electricity purchases - will meet customers' electricity needs;
- understand the preferences of and impact on customers and others who may be affected by BC Hydro's plans to meet energy needs;
- ensure that environmental, social and economic factors are properly considered in acquiring future electricity resources; and
- meet customers' and regulators' expectations that BC Hydro can continue to deliver a safe, reliable supply of low-cost electricity.
Questions?
Please contact Energy Planning with your comments or questions.
