Customers, Legislation, Policy and Systems

Customers

BC Hydro operations serve a diverse domestic customer base comprising residential, commercial and industrial customers. About 88 per cent of customers are residential, accounting for approximately 38 per cent of our domestic revenues. About 11 per cent of customers are commercial or light industrial, accounting for 36 per cent of domestic revenues. Large industrial customers represent less than one per cent of customers, but account for about 21 per cent of domestic revenue.

Enabling Legislation

Two key provincial legislative statutes enable BC Hydro’s operations. Our mandate is provided for under the Hydro and Power Authority Act. This Act created BC Hydro and establishes its general powers and governance.

The other piece of legislation is the Utilities Commission Act. This Act creates the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) and establishes the framework for regulation of public utilities. The BCUC is an independent regulatory agency of the Provincial Government, operating under and administering the Utilities Commission Act. The BCUC’s primary responsibility is the regulation of the energy utilities under its jurisdiction to ensure that the rates charged for energy are fair, just and reasonable, and that utility operations provide safe, adequate and secure service to its customers.

Provincial Public Policy

BC Hydro is a commercial, provincial Crown corporation and has a role in implementing provincial public policy. This was seen in the past year with the continued implementation of the Provincial Government’s Energy Plan. The plan has four cornerstones: low electricity rates and public ownership of BC Hydro; secure, reliable supply; more private sector opportunities for new energy supply; and environmental responsibility and no nuclear power sources. The Energy Plan contains 21 direct policy action items for BC Hydro. Nineteen have been completed and the remaining two are underway: choice of electricity supplier by large customers and new rate structures to encourage energy efficiency.

Management Systems

A variety of integrated management systems guide the environmental, social and financial aspects of our business. These include the Environmental Management System, the Safety Management System and the Risk Management System. Together, these systems enable us to rigorously manage the environmental, social and financial aspects of our business in a proactive and integrated manner.