B.C. Hydro Applies to Increase Rates

Thursday, May 25, 2006 01:59 PM

B.C. Hydro has filed an application to increase its rates by 4.65% this year, and a further 2.71% next year.

B.C. Hydro says if approved, the increase would mean the average household would pay $67.10 a month. According to B.C. Hydro, that is still well below what the same customer would pay in Edmonton, ($89.40) and in Toronto ($118.10) .

B.C. Hydro's Senior Vice President of Distribution, Bev Van Ruyven says the booming B.C. economy is partially to blame for the requested increase "many of our customers are expanding their business and that translates into greater demand for electricity".

Van Ruyven says even with the increase, B.C. Customers will still enjoy the third lowest average electricty rates in North America.

If an interim increase is allowed, it would take effect in July.

The BC Utilities Commission will determine the timing and next steps of the review of the rate hike request.

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Posted on Thursday, May 25, 2006 01:59 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: REALIST on May 25 2006 4:19 PM

Once again the cost of living continues to climb, while the provincial government does nothing to raise the amount the disabled receive on which to live. Shame British Columbians, Shame

Posted by: camoose on May 26 2006 12:50 AM

If we could get the Yanks to pay for the power we supplied to California maybe we wouldn't have to have an increase at this time. Could it be that the government is trying to improve hydro's bottom line in order to better privitize it?

Posted by: lunarguy on May 26 2006 6:19 AM

Well and don't forget the provincial government has to pay for all the goodies they have been handing out, plus the olympics, etc. Any profits from BCH just go to the government so in some ways this is just a tax grab. It was liberal policies that have seen BCH not able to build any more generation and instead we have to purchase power now from so called independant sources, at a rate higher than it has been from our own sources.

Posted by: diplomat on May 26 2006 10:06 AM

>"It was liberal policies that have seen BCH not able to build any more generation..."<

Unfortunately the NDP did not allow BC Hydro to add any new generating capacity during its ten years in power either!

BC Hydro was used simply as a cash cow, as were BC Rail and ICBC.

It was the NDP which sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of power to California without getting paid, although the potential revenue figured prominently on the plus side in two consecutive provincial budgets.

Posted by: acrider54 on May 26 2006 4:20 PM

If BCTC (used to be BCH) would quit selling all of our power to the States, we would have plenty for the people of BC. Remember? thepeople of BC own BCH and as far as I'm concerned BCTC but you could never tell now that the Liberals formed BCTC so they could wheel our power to the U.S.

Posted by: lunarguy on May 26 2006 9:55 PM

The problem with that arguement is that BC no longer has enough generation for the load we have. We are a net importer of power now. We do sell power to the states, when we have it but overall we purchase more back from them.

Posted by: lunarguy on May 26 2006 9:58 PM

Actually the NDP never stopped BCH from building new generation. The need just was not there at the time. The liberals have now passed the required energy plan that spells out that BCH shall not build any more generation. This includes site "C" up by Fort St. John.

Posted by: diplomat on May 27 2006 8:47 AM

>The need just was not there at the time.<

There was the proper time to make a decision and after that comes the construction phase, often taking many years.

The government of the decade should have anticipated that some years later we would be needing more power and gotten things rolling.

Politicians often decide to do nothing just to be on the safe side.

If BCH does not add any additional generating capacity perhaps someone else will.

We already are net importers at this point in time so the added power will have to come from coal fired or nuclear plants somewhere else, like energy rich Alberta.