Questions and answers for 2025 Call for Power
Answers to questions on the 2025 Call for Power Request for Proposals (RFP), RFP process, and related documents issued during the call process are posted on this page. Proponents can use the 2025 Call For Power question submission form to submit questions online.
Questions and answers provided are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the 2025 Call for Power RFP and are for general information only. They do not constitute legal or other advice and do not amend or form part of the RFP, unless confirmed by Addendum or revised RFP documents. Should there be any differences between the responses on this page and the RFP or Specimen Electricity Purchase Agreement (EPA) issued by BC Hydro when the Call for Power is launched or subsequently updated, the RFP and the Specimen EPA shall prevail.
Answers to questions will be added regularly. Registered proponents will receive a notification whenever new answers are posted.
August 5, 2025
8. Are the Early Commercial Operation Date (COD) incentive bonuses additive?
Yes. Please refer to Section 8.4 in Schedule 7 – Specimen EPA [PDF, 1.2 MB] for more information.
7. Are there geographic regions or substations where BC Hydro is prioritizing new energy supply due to transmission constraints or projected demand growth?
In the province, more than 70% of the province's electricity is consumed in the major load centers of the Lower Mainland and southern portion of Vancouver Island. Please see the BC Hydro Transmission System Information [PDF, 343 KB] for the 2025 Call for Power.
6. Will BC Hydro allow bundled proposals where generation and storage are combined under a single contract?
Yes, the specimen EPA includes provisions for battery storage. Please note that additional amendments may be required to the Specimen of EPA.
5. Within an energy-only procurement framework, how will BC Hydro evaluate the contribution of storage—such as its role in shaping, dispatchability, or enhancing system reliability? Will hybrid configurations receive additional value or scoring consideration, particularly for their system integration and delivery profile? Additionally, will proposals offering shaped energy in constrained areas be considered higher value during the evaluation process?
A proposal with a Designated Capacity Commitment may receive a credit in calculating the evaluation price if the project can meet the capacity commitment requirements that are specified in the Specimen Electricity Purchase Agreement. Proponents are encouraged to review both Section 11.2 of the RFP and Schedule 7 – Specimen EPA for full details on the capacity commitment criteria and associated evaluation credit.
4. Are there performance expectations, metering configurations, or delivery requirements specific to hybrid projects?
Please refer to Q&A #5. Furthermore, batteries must be charged by generation from the Energy Source and cannot be charged using BC Hydro's integrated system. There may be additional project specific technical requirements identified for a hybrid project in the Interconnection process.
3. Will battery-paired wind or solar projects be eligible under the 2025 Call for Power?
Yes. Please refer to Q&A #1 for more information.
2. Are batteries a generation resource?
No. Batteries are energy storage and not considered a generation resource. Eligibility requirements for the 2025 Call for Power are detailed in Section 2.2 of the RFP. An eligibility requirement, Clean or Renewable Resource, details that "the entire energy output from the Project must be from a single resource type and must qualify as a Clean or Renewable Resource." A Clean or Renewable Resource, as defined in the RFP, which also references the Clean Energy Act, means "biomass, biogas, geothermal heat, hydro, solar, ocean, wind or any other prescribed resource."
1. Is a project that combines run-of-river hydro and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to meet the 40 MW minimum eligible for the 2025 Call for Power (CFP)?
Eligibility requirements for the 2025 Call for Power are detailed in Section 2.2 of the RFP. An eligibility requirement, Clean or Renewable Resource, details that "the entire energy output from the Project must be from a single resource type and must qualify as a Clean or Renewable Resource." A Clean or Renewable Resource, as defined in the RFP, which also references the Clean Energy Act, means "biomass, biogas, geothermal heat, hydro, solar, ocean, wind or any other prescribed resource."
Batteries are energy storage and are not considered a generation resource. As such, a project must consist of a minimum of 40 MW of generation from any Clean or Renewable Resource.
Note that if a project has an Energy Source that is not hydro, wind, solar or biomass; or storage, additional amendments may be required to the Specimen of EPA and batteries must be charged by generation from the Energy Source and cannot be charged using BC Hydro's integrated system.
Additionally, BC Hydro also has a 2025 Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) for Capacity underway. Participation in the 2025 Call for Power does not preclude proponents from taking part in RFEOI. Interested parties are advised that the 2025 Call for Power process and the 2025 RFEOI for Capacity are independent of the other and participation in one process will not be participation in the other process.