Integrated Resource Plan
We’ve finalized our plan
We filed our 2021 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) [PDF, 2.8 MB] with the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) on December 21. The plan outlines our approach to continuing to meet the electricity needs of the province for the next 20 years. On January 21, the BCUC issued Order G-15-22 – Regulatory Timetable and Public Notice and began its public regulatory review process and will make their decision on the plan.
Thanks for your input
The plan was informed by what we heard throughout our Clean Power 2040 engagement, which included input from more than 6,000 British Columbians through surveys and virtual engagement sessions, and consultation with 85 Indigenous Nations, Tribal Councils and Indigenous organizations.
Read more about our consultation activities:
In addition to consultation, we also considered various other factors.
What’s in our 2021 Integrated Resource Plan
Here are five key takeaways of the plan:
- Our plan builds upon our electrification goals and supporting the province’s shift from fossil fuels to clean hydroelectricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help combat climate change.
- We’re introducing new options for our customers to have more control over your electricity use, including new energy efficiency programs, and incentives for using electricity at certain times of the day.
- Instead of building new, we’ll optimize our existing generation facilities and transmission lines to avoid the higher costs and environmental impact from building new infrastructure.
- Our plan is flexible and will allow us to adapt to changes in electricity demand and adopt new technologies as they become available.
- We gathered input and perspectives of Indigenous Nations to ensure we’re making responsible choices for the future.
What we considered when developing the plan
Before we started drafting our plan, we reviewed our current supply while considering past and current trends. We also looked at how much our customers have been able to reduce their electricity consumption through our conservation and energy efficiency programs.
This information helped us determine what new supply we need to plan for, and when we'll need it. Other factors we considered, included:
We need to continue to provide clean, renewable electricity to achieve B.C.'s legislated greenhouse gas emission targets and shift industry in B.C. away from fossil fuels. This will also increase demand for electricity.
We're keeping an eye on advancements in technology along with its potential benefits. This includes solar power, battery storage, and other advanced technology, as well as ways to manage electricity use during higher-demand times, including time-of-use rates, electricity conservation and efficiency programs.
Our electricity system is like a 10-lane highway, where “capacity” is the highest number of cars that could use it at the same time. “Energy” is like the number of cars on it at a given time, which can fluctuate. Being “at capacity” is like rush hour. We don’t need full capacity all the time, but we must have enough to meet periods of highest energy demand —for example, during cold, winter evenings.
As we think about the future of our system and continuing to meet the electricity needs of B.C., we must consider both the demand for energy from our customers and the capacity of our system.
Our plan was built around a forecast of the energy and capacity our residential, commercial, and industrial customers will need over the next 20 years. We also developed multiple scenarios (higher and lower forecasts) so we’re as prepared as possible for the unpredictable.
Some of the factors in estimating future electricity demand include:
- Population growth over the next 20 years
- Reduced dependence on fossil fuels leading to increased electricity consumption through the electrification of home heating, transportation, and other industries