Statement: BCUC approves BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan
On March 6, the B.C. Utilities Commission issued its decision accepting the 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which anticipates BC Hydro's load and resource needs and guides decisions on our electricity system in the future. The flexible plan supports British Columbia’s legislated greenhouse gas reduction targets, electrification goals and the drive to shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity to help combat climate change.
The plan outlines a number of direct actions BC Hydro is taking to meet the growing demand, including accelerating or extending the timing of several of the existing near-term actions we can take to grow and expand our system and supply. These include actions on energy efficiency, demand response, electricity purchase agreement renewals and utility-scale batteries.
We’re also estimating we’ll need about 3,000 gigawatt hours per year of new renewable generation from large projects that can connect directly to our system starting as early as 2028, which the Commission has agreed with. And, that’s why we are launching a call for power this spring that will add 3,000 gigawatt hours per year – the equivalent of powering 270,000 homes or adding 5 per cent to our current supply. The call for power is expected to be the first in a series of calls in the coming years.
Finally, we are on track to have all six generating units at Site C in service by the end of 2025. When it’s up and running, Site C will provide British Columbians with an additional 8 per cent of our current supply, enough to power nearly half a million homes or 1.7 million electric vehicles per year.
BC Hydro is pleased with decision by the Commission to accept the Updated 2021 IRP, and additional information on the decision can be found on the Commission’s website.