Editing BC Hydro

{{Short description|Crown corporation in British Columbia, Canada}}
{{Infobox company
| name = British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
| logo = BC_Hydro_logo.svg
| trade_name = BC Hydro
| type = [[Crown Corporation]]
| industry = [[Electric utility]]
| area_served = British Columbia
| key_people = Chris O'Riley, President & CEO
| products = [[Electricity generation]], [[electric power transmission|transmission]] and [[electricity distribution|distribution]]
| revenue = {{increase}} {{CAD|7.591 billion|link=yes}} {{small|(2022)}}<ref name="2022HydroReport" />
| net_income = {{decrease}} {{CAD|668 million|link=yes}} {{small|(2022)}}<ref name="2022HydroReport" />
| assets = {{increase}} {{CAD|42.734 billion|link=yes}} {{small|(2022)}}<ref name="2022HydroReport" />
| owner = [[Government of British Columbia]]
| num_employees = 6128 {{small|(2011)}}<ref name="LA1_Num_Employee">{{Cite web|author=BC Hydro |title=LA1 Number of Active Employees, by Contract Type |url=http://www.bchydro.com/about/accountability_reports/2011_gri/f2011_social/f2011_social_LA1.html |date=2011 |access-date=2013-02-18}}</ref>
| foundation = 1961
| location = 333 Dunsmuir Street<br />{{nowrap|[[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]]}}<br />V6B 5R3
| homepage = {{official URL}}
}}

The '''British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority''', [[trade name|operating as]] '''BC Hydro''', is a Canadian [[electric utility]] in the province of [[British Columbia]]. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas,<ref name="BCHydro_Facts">{{citation |author=BC Hydro |title=BC Hydro quick facts |date=2019 |url=https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/BCHydro-Quick-Facts-20190331.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627210808/https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/BCHydro-Quick-Facts-20190331.pdf |access-date=2022-05-16 |archive-date=2021-06-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with the exception of the City of [[New Westminster]], where the city runs its own electrical department<ref>[https://www.newwestcity.ca/services/electrical-utility Electrical | City of New Westminster]. Newwestcity.ca. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.</ref> and portions of the [[Kootenays|West Kootenay]], [[Okanagan]], the [[Boundary Country]] and [[Similkameen Country|Similkameen]] regions, where [[FortisBC]], a subsidiary of [[Fortis Inc.]] directly provides electric service to 213,000 customers and supplies municipally owned utilities in the same area.<ref>{{citation|author=FortisBC |title=About Fortis BC |url=http://fortisbc.com/About/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=2011-06-30}}</ref> As a provincial [[Crown corporation]], BC Hydro reports to the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation,<!-- per https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/energy-mines-and-petroleum-resources on 18 January 2021 --> and is regulated by the [[British Columbia Utilities Commission]] (BCUC). Its mandate is to generate, purchase, distribute and sell electricity.

BC Hydro operates 32 [[hydroelectric]] facilities and two [[natural gas]]-fueled [[thermal power plants]]. As of 2014, 95 per cent of the province's electricity was produced by hydroelectric generating stations, which consist mostly of large hydroelectric dams on the [[Columbia River|Columbia]] and [[Peace River|Peace]] rivers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/our_system.html|title=BC Hydro's System|author=BC Hydro|date=July 17, 2014|access-date=2014-07-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419063453/http://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/our_system.html|archive-date=2013-04-19|url-status=dead}}</ref> BC Hydro's various facilities generate between 43,000 and 54,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually, depending on prevailing water levels. BC Hydro's [[nameplate capacity]] is 12,049 megawatts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/operations/our-facilities/columbia.html|title=Our Facilities|author=BC Hydro|date=July 29, 2009|access-date=2009-12-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250314175906/https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/operations/our-facilities/columbia.html|archive-date=2025-03-14}}</ref>

[[Electricity]] is delivered through a network of 18,286 kilometers of transmission lines operating from 69 kV to 500 kV, and 55,254 kilometers of distribution lines. BC Hydro has two major [[WECC_Intertie_Paths|intertie paths]], with its system being interconnected to the [[Alberta Electric System Operator]] via [[Western Electricity Coordinating Council|WECC]] Path 1, and to the [[Bonneville Power Administration]] via WECC Path 3.

For the 2013-2014 fiscal year, the domestic electric sales volume was 53,018 gigawatt hours, revenue was {{CAD|5.392 billion|link=yes}} and net income was {{CAD|549 million}}.<ref name="BCH2014">{{cite book|title=BC Hydro 2014 Annual Report|url=http://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/bc-hydro-annual-report-2014.pdf|author=BC Hydro|year=2014|location=Vancouver|access-date=2014-07-20}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Buntzen Lake Power Plant number one.jpg|left|thumb|Buntzen Lake Power Plant #1 in 1907 from BC Electric Company, a company which would ultimately become BC Hydro through legislative action.]]
BC Hydro was created in 1961 when the government of British Columbia, under Premier [[W. A. C. Bennett]], passed the ''BC Hydro Act''. This act led to the expropriation of the BC Electric Company and its merging with the BC Power Commission, to create the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BCHPA).<ref name="Gaslights135">{{cite book|author=B.C. Hydro. Power Pioneers |title=Gaslights to gigawatts : A human history of BC Hydro and its predecessors |location=Vancouver |publisher=Hurricane Press |year=1998 |page=135 |isbn=0-9698845-2-4}}</ref>

The BC Power Commission had been established with the Electric Power Act in 1945 by [[John Hart (Canadian politician)|Premier John Hart]]. The mandate of the Power Commission was to amalgamate existing power and generating facilities across the province not served by BC Electric, and to extend service to the many smaller communities without power.<ref>B.C. Hydro. Power Pioneers (1998), ''op. cit.'', p. 73.</ref>
[[File:Electra Building.jpg|thumb|upright|In 1957 [[BC Electric Company]] moved from its Carrall Street headquarters to a modern 21 storey building on Burrard Street. In 1998, it was converted to condominiums and renamed the [[Electra Building]].]]
[[File:Preserved Vancouver CCF-Brill T48A trolleybus 2416 on Dunbar Diversion on 2010 fan trip.jpg|thumb|A 1954 [[J. G. Brill Company|Brill]] trolley bus that has been preserved in a paint scheme adopted by BC Hydro in 1962. Note Hydro logo on front.]]
[[BC Electric Company]] began as the [[British Columbia Electric Railway]] (streetcar and lighting utility) in [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], [[Vancouver]] and [[New Westminster]] in 1897. Power was generated by coal-fired steam plants. Increasing demand in the [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] boom years meant BC Electric sought expansion through developing Hydro power at [[Buntzen Lake]], and later at [[Stave Lake]]. Sensible growth and expansion of the power, streetcar and [[coal gas]] utilities meant that BC Electric was a major company in the region.

Also about this time, sawmills and factories converted to electricity, further increasing the demand for electric power. BC Electric developed more hydro stations in the province. Similarly, small towns also built and operated their own power stations. More power transmission lines were also built. Dams and hydro-electric generating stations were built on Vancouver Island on the [[Puntledge River|Puntledge]], [[Jordan River, British Columbia|Jordan]], and [[Elk River (British Columbia)|Elk]] rivers in the 1920s.

By the time of the [[First World War]], private cars and [[share taxi|jitney]]s were beginning to affect streetcar traffic. New dams were planned, including the [[Bridge River Power Project|diversion from the Bridge River to Seton Lake]], near [[Lillooet, British Columbia|Lillooet]], but the [[Great Depression in Canada|economic depression of the 1930s]] halted this business expansion. Also with the depression came an increase in the ridership, and a decrease in the maintenance of the streetcar system. In 1947, the BC Power Commission completed the John Hart Generating Station at [[Campbell River, British Columbia|Campbell River]]. In the early 1950s the ageing streetcars and interurban trains were replaced by electric [[trolley bus]]es, and diesel buses. BC Electric finally completed the [[Bridge River Power Project|Bridge River Generating Station]] in 1960.

In 1958, BC Electric began construction of the oil-fired (later converted to natural gas) [[Burrard Generating Station]] near [[Port Moody]]. It opened in 1961 and operated only intermittently when needed. In 2001, it represented over 9% of BC Hydro's gross metered generation. The gas turbines at the Burrard Generating Station were decommissioned in 2016 to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and the plant continues to be used as [[synchronous condenser]] facility.

On August 1, 1961, just days after company president Dal Grauer died, the BC government passed the legislation which changed BC Electric from a private company to a [[Government-owned corporation#Canada|crown corporation]] known as BC Hydro. 

The new corporation's responsibility including running the portions of the BC Electric Railway route still operating, for mass transit operation of the [[Trolley buses in Vancouver|Vancouver trolley bus system]] (comprising a portion of the urban bus routes in Vancouver), as well as all the electric generation, transmission, and distribution operations. 

In 1988, BC Hydro sold its Gas Division which distributed [[natural gas]] in the Lower Mainland and Victoria to Inland Natural Gas. Inland changed its name to BC Gas, and was sold and changed name again to [[Terasen Gas]] in 2003. In 2007 Terasen sold the gas operation to [[FortisBC]].

In 1988, BC Hydro's remaining railway operations were sold to the [[Southern Railway of British Columbia]].<ref>SRY Rail Link Website [https://www.sryraillink.com/about-us/history/#:~:text=The%20provincial%20government%20took%20over,a%20Washington%20Company%20in%201994. History - Southern Railway of British Columbia]Retrieved 2024-10-12</ref> BC Hydro continues to own the railbed of the former BC Electric Railway interurban route through Burnaby and New Westminster (on which a portion of the [[SkyTrain_(Vancouver)|Skytrain]] [[Expo_Line_(SkyTrain)|Expo Line]] was built), as well as the railway from North Delta through Surrey, Langley, and Abbotsford all the way to Chilliwack (which continues to be operated by Southern Rail). A segment of the BC Hydro route through Langley is also leased to [[BC Rail]] to link the [[Canadian National Railway]] mainline, [[BNSF_Railway|Burlington Northern Santa Fe]], and the [[Roberts Bank Superport]].<ref>City of Vancouver Archives [https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/uploads/r/null/8/5/c/85c952a6177e1ee3a232e53e5c1469d7099016a501bafd290c9a85a09c136d0e/deaab9ca-54ab-48f1-b9b1-2cdefe077ee8-MAP417.jpg?token=3a4b7e94813241de0f2bb8c43ccea2007e573903d2270ff3dc4e43c4be1391c5 Railroad Map of Greater Vancouver]Retrieved 2024-10-12</ref>

In 2003 the BC government passed several pieces of legislation to redefine and regulate power utilities in British Columbia. The Transmission Corporation Act created the [[British Columbia Transmission Corporation]] (BCTC) as an independent transmission provider, but which only lasted until 2010 until being re-merged back into BC Hydro.

Also in 2003, BC Hydro privatized and outsourced many of its support functions, including 1540 of its employees in its Customer Service, Westech IT Services, Network Computer Services, Human Resources, Financial Systems, Purchasing, and Building and Office Services groups. These services were first outsourced to [[Accenture]],<ref>[http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/PubDocs/bcdocs/359905/backgrounder.pdf BC Hydro-Accenture Backgrounder]</ref><!--As of what date and was there a bidding process? Public controversy over Accenture's role should be mentioned.--> and later to [[Telus Communications|Telus]] and [[Fujitsu]].

In the final week of August, 2015, the company experienced what it then described as its largest blackout event after a windstorm hit the [[British Columbia Coast|South Coast]] on August 29–30, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=September 1, 2015 |title=B.C. storm: 'Largest outage event' in BC Hydro history |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-storm-hydro-1.3210919 |accessdate=January 29, 2018 |publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="metro news">{{cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Thandi |date=September 1, 2015 |title=Widespread power outage was largest in BC Hydro history |url=http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2015/09/01/thousands-of-bc-hydro-customers-still-without-power.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129140707/http://www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2015/09/01/thousands-of-bc-hydro-customers-still-without-power.html |archive-date=January 29, 2018 |accessdate=January 29, 2018 |publisher=[[Metro International|Metro News]]}}</ref>  It affected more than 710,000 residents living in the [[Lower Mainland]] and [[Vancouver Island]] regions of the Canadian province of [[British Columbia]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Pawson |first=Chad |date=August 29, 2015 |title=B.C. Lower Mainland storm cuts power to 400,000 homes |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-lower-mainland-storm-cuts-power-to-400-000-homes-1.3208698 |accessdate=January 29, 2018 |publisher=[[CBC News]]}}</ref><ref name="metro news" /> and lasted more than 72 hours for some neighbourhoods.<ref name="metro news" /> This blackout was surpassed by a outage caused by a 2018 winter storm that left 750,000 without power.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Azpiri |first=Jon |date=2019-01-02 |title=BC Hydro says December windstorm was the most damaging in its history |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4806906/bc-hydro-december-windstorm-most-damaging-in-history/ |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Modern era==
[[File:Aeriel picture, Revelstoke Dam.jpg|thumb|right|[[Revelstoke Dam]] on Columbia River, BC]]
Between 1960 and 1980, BC Hydro completed six large [[hydro-electric]] generating projects. The first large dam was built on the [[Peace River (Canada)|Peace River]] near [[Hudson's Hope]]. The [[W. A. C. Bennett Dam]] was built to create an energy reservoir for the Gordon M. Shrum Generating Station, which has a capacity of 2,730 Megawatts of electric power and generated 13,810 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year on average 2012–16. When it was completed in 1968, the dam was the largest earth-fill structure ever built. The [[Williston Lake]] reservoir is the largest lake in British Columbia. A second smaller concrete dam was later built downstream, closer to Hudson's Hope for the [[Peace Canyon Dam|Peace Canyon Generating Station]] which was completed in 1980.

Under the terms of the [[Columbia River Treaty]] with the US, BC Hydro built a number of dams and hydro-electric generating stations including two large projects at [[Mica Dam|Mica]] and [[Revelstoke Dam|Revelstoke]] on the Columbia River. The [[Keenleyside Dam]] on the Columbia River north of Castlegar and the [[Duncan Dam]] north of Kootenay Lake were also built under the same treaty and are used mainly for water control. Two generators were installed at Keenleyside in 2002, though these are owned and operated by the [[Columbia Power Corporation]] (a separate Crown Corporation). [[Kootenay Canal|Kootenay Canal Generating Station]] on the [[Kootenay River]] between Nelson and Castlegar was completed in 1976. The [[Seven Mile Dam]] and Generating Station on the [[Pend d'Oreille River]] near Trail were completed in 1979.

[[File:Arrow Lakes Generating Station, British Columbia, Canada.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Hugh Keenleyside Dam]] (left) was completed in 1968. The Arrow Lakes Generating Station (right) was added in 2002.]]
In the late 1970s and early 1980s BC Hydro investigated the feasibility of geothermal power production at [[Meager Creek]], north of [[Pemberton, British Columbia|Pemberton]]. They concluded from their testing that the underground rock wasn't permeable enough to justify large-scale production of electricity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straight.com/article/energy-firms-propose-ethanol-and-geothermal-plants-in-b-c|title=Energy Firms Propose Ethanol and Geothermal Plants in B.C.|date=22 July 2004}}</ref> Around the same time, BC Hydro initiated a project to develop a coal-fired thermal generating station at [[Hat Creek (British Columbia)|Hat Creek]] near Cache Creek, but abandoned the effort in 1981 due to strong environmental opposition.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/Coal/CoalBC/FiguresandTables/Documents/E001a.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212013724/http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geoscience/Coal/CoalBC/FiguresandTables/Documents/E001a.pdf |archive-date=2018-12-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1989 the Power Smart and Resource Smart programs were initiated by BC Hydro to promote energy conservation as an alternative to the cost of creating new generating facilities. Since 2001, BC Hydro has focused on its conservation and [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] programs, re-investing in its existing facilities, and purchasing clean, [[renewable energy]] from [[Independent Power Producer]]s. According to the "British Columbia Energy Plan",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/electricity-alternative-energy/bc_energy_plan_2007.pdf|date=December 2016|title=British Columbia Energy Plan 2007}}</ref> released in 2007, BC Hydro must ensure that clean or renewable electricity generation continues to account for at least 90 percent of total generation. As of 2014, 97 percent of BC Hydro's electricity generation comes from clean or renewable sources and this generation only emits 730,000 tonnes of {{CO2}} annually from thermal plants.<ref>[http://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/bc-hydro-annual-report-2014.pdf]. Bchydro.com. Retrieved on 2014-07-20.</ref>

==Organization and financial performance==
[[File:BC Hydro building (3428865702).jpg|upright|thumb|Headquarters in [[Vancouver]].]]
In 1980 the BC Government established the [[BC Utilities Commission]] (BCUC) to regulate public energy utilities and to act as an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory agency regarding energy rates. BC Hydro's operations are overseen by this commission, and governed through an Electric Tariff and an Open Access Transmission Tariff.

===Site C Dam===
While BC Hydro initially looked at [[Site C dam|Site C]] on the Peace River near Fort St. John in the late 1950s, it wasn't until 1982 that it submitted a [[Site C dam|Site C]] development project to the [[British Columbia Utilities Commission]] (BCUC). It was turned down by the BCUC at that time.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}<!--What were the BCUC's reasons?-->  Another attempt to revive it in the 1990s was blocked by environmental concerns.<ref name="thetyee.ca">{{cite web|url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2010/04/09/BigSmoke/|title=Must the 'Big Smoke' Always Get Its Way? - The Tyee|first=Max|last=Fawcett|date=9 April 2010}}</ref> In 2004 the BC government's Energy Plan<ref>BC Energy Plan: http://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bcep/default.aspx?hash=7 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090823133051/http://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bcep/default.aspx?hash=7 |date=2009-08-23 }}</ref> instructed BC Hydro to begin discussions with First Nations, the Province of Alberta and communities to discuss [[Site C dam|Site C]] as a future option.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/policies/pdf/site_c_peace_river_site_c_hydro_project_fact_sheet.Par.0001.File.site_c_peace_river_site_c_hydro_project_fact_sheet.pdf|title=Page or File Not Found|access-date=2009-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611224744/http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/policies/pdf/site_c_peace_river_site_c_hydro_project_fact_sheet.Par.0001.File.site_c_peace_river_site_c_hydro_project_fact_sheet.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-11|url-status=dead}}</ref> In May 2014, a federal-provincial Joint Review Panel released a report into the project's environmental, economic, social, heritage, and health effects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=99172|title=Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry - News Releases|first=Government of Canada, Canadian Environmental Assessment|last=Agency|date=8 May 2014 }}</ref> A notice of Site C construction commencing in 2015 was issued July 2015.<ref>[https://www.sitecproject.com/sites/default/files/Notice%20of%20Construction%20Activities%20-%20July%202015.pdf Re: Notice of Site C Construction Activities]</ref> Revelstoke Dam built in 1984 was the last new dam built by BC Hydro.

===Independent Power Producers===
[[File:Powerlines-coq.jpg|thumb|upright|BC Hydro high voltage transmission lines in [[Coquitlam]]]]
The BC Hydro Public Power Legacy and Heritage Contract Act requires BC Hydro to meet the province's future needs for power through private developers. These acts have allowed [[Independent Power Producers in British Columbia|Independent Power Producers]] (IPPs) to sell power to BC Hydro, which is required by law to buy it from them even at a loss.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/EPD/PolicyRegulationLegislation/Leg/Pages/default.aspx |title=Electricity Legislation |access-date=2009-10-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718054752/http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/EPD/PolicyRegulationLegislation/Leg/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2011 BC Hydro spent $567.4 million on electricity from IPPs. In 2013, BC Hydro had 127 Electricity Purchase Agreements in its supply portfolio, representing 22,200 gigawatt hours of annual energy and over 5,500 megawatts of capacity.<ref>[https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/independent-power-producers-calls-for-power/independent-power-producers/energy-procurement-practices.pdf OVERVIEW OF BC HYDRO’S ENERGY PROCUREMENT PRACTICES]</ref> In 2013 those purchases will be $781.8 million in 2013 and $939.8 million in 2014, representing about 20% of domestic supply.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/ipps-to-cost-bc-hydro-almost-1-billion-annually-by-2014/Content?oid=2170530|title=IPPs to cost BC Hydro almost $1 billion annually by 2014|first=Jesse|last=Ferreras|publisher=Pique News Magazine}}</ref><ref>http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/Annual_Reports/2013_2014/pdf/agency/bchydro.pdf pg7</ref>

=== Exports and Imports ===
Through its interties, BC Hydro exports and imports electric power through its wholly owned power marketing and trading subsidiary, [[Powerex (electricity)|Powerex]], which was established in 1988. Powerex also markets the [[Columbia River Treaty#Canadian Entitlement|Canadian Entitlement]] energy from the [[Columbia River Treaty]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wholesale Electricity |url=https://powerex.com/our-business/electricity |website=[[Powerex (electricity)|Powerex]] |access-date=2021-07-05}}</ref> BC Hydro belongs to a power sharing consortium which includes electric utilities in Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. The flexibility of the interties contributes to system reliability, for example importing energy in low-water years, or importing when there is a system contingency. In 2013 British Columbia's minister of energy and mines, Bill Bennett spoke to why BC Hydro was agreeing to a  $750 million settlement with California over claims Powerex manipulated electricity prices.<ref>{{cite news |title=Update 1-Canadian province settles California energy crisis case |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/utilities-california-crisis/update-1-canadian-province-settles-california-energy-crisis-case-idUSL2N0GH0WI20130816 |access-date=2021-07-05 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=August 16, 2013}}</ref>

=== Financial performance ===
{| class="wikitable centre" style="text-align:left; width:95%;"
|+ '''Financial data 2000-2022 (year ending on March 31)'''<br />millions of Canadian dollars
<ref name="2013_Annual_Report">{{citation|author=BC Hydro |title=BC Hydro Annual Report 2013 |url=http://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/bc-hydro-annual-report-2013.pdf |date=2013 |access-date=2013-02-18}}</ref><ref name="BCH2011p114">{{cite book |title=BC Hydro 2010 Annual Report |url=http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/annual_report/2010_annual_report.Par.0001.File.2010_annual_report.pdf |author=BC Hydro |year=2011 |location=Vancouver |access-date=2011-07-01 |page=114 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227133235/http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/annual_report/2010_annual_report.Par.0001.File.2010_annual_report.pdf |archive-date=2010-12-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="BCH2009p114">
BC Hydro (2009), ''op. cit.'', p. 114</ref><ref name="BCH2004p127">{{cite book |title=BC Hydro 2004 Annual Report |url=http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/info/pdf/info_2004_annual_report_full.Par.0001.File.info_2004_annual_report_full.pdf |author=BC Hydro |year=2004 |location=Vancouver |access-date=2009-12-22 |page=127 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509210731/http://www.bchydro.com/etc/medialib/internet/documents/info/pdf/info_2004_annual_report_full.Par.0001.File.info_2004_annual_report_full.pdf |archive-date=2009-05-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
! scope="col"  style="width:23%; background:white; border-top-color:white; border-left-color:white;"|
! scope="col" style="width:5.5%;"| 2022<ref name="2022HydroReport">{{cite web |title=British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority - 2021/22 Annual Service Plan Report |url=https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/21-22-bc-hydro-annual-service-plan-report-final.pdf |publisher=BC Hydro |access-date=19 Nov 2022}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:5.5%;"| 2021<ref name="2022HydroReport" />
! scope="col" style="width:5.5%;"| 2020<ref name="2020HydroReport">{{cite web |title=British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority - 2019/20 Annual Service Plan Report |url=https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/accountability-reports/financial-reports/annual-reports/BCHydro-Annual-Service-Plan-Report-2019-2020.pdf |publisher=BC Hydro |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref>
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! scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| Revenues
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==Renewable energy and conservation initiatives==
[[File:BC Hydro charging station.jpg|thumb|BC Hydro [[charging station]] in [[Grandview Heights, Surrey]]]]
BC Hydro's [[Power Smart]] program encourages energy conservation among its residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The program also aims to promote energy saving retail products and building construction, and includes a "Sustainable Communities Program". Its in-house Resource Smart program is used to identify and implement efficiency gains at existing BC Hydro facilities. BC Hydro also practices energy conservation at its generating facilities through the continuous monitoring and efficient use of the water resources used to power its generators.

BC Hydro was committed by the BC government's Energy Plan to achieve electric power self-sufficiency in the province by 2016, with all new generation plants having zero net greenhouse gas emissions by the same year.<ref>[http://www.gov.bc.ca/fortherecord/energy/ee_environment.html?src=/environment/ee_environment.html The Province of British Columbia - Home]. Gov.bc.ca (2009-01-15). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.</ref> In 2013, BC Hydro released an Integrated Resource Plan which includes meeting at least 66 percent of the expected increase in electricity demand through increased energy efficiency.<ref>[http://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/corporate/regulatory-planning-documents/integrated-resource-plans/current-plan/0000-nov-2013-irp-summary.pdf INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN]</ref>

BC Hydro has also entered into energy purchase contracts with a new category of company created by special legislation, Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to buy electricity generated from intermittent renewable sources, mainly from small capacity [[run of river]] hydro and more recently, wind power, wood residue energy, and energy from organic municipal waste.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bcep/default.html#5 |title=BC Energy plan |access-date=2011-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315141558/http://www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca/bcep/default.html#5 |archive-date=2012-03-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There has been some criticism of this policy on the basis that it will result in Hydro paying significantly higher rates to private producers than it would have if the power were self-generated.<ref>[https://theprovince.com/technology/Editorial+Hydro+needs+back+roots/4345611/story.html#ixzz1F1GaMlUX ''Editorial: Hydro needs to get back to its roots'', Vancouver Province, February 25, 2011]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/582-private-power-postmedia-sees-the-light |title=''Private Power: PostMedia Sees The Light'', Rafe Mair, ''The Common Sense Canadian'' (zine), February 28, 2011 |access-date=March 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303063244/http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/582-private-power-postmedia-sees-the-light |archive-date=March 3, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

BC has a policy not to develop nuclear power.

As of July 2018, BC Hydro operated 58 [[electric vehicle]] [[charging stations]] in the province.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bc.ctvnews.ca/bc-hydro-launches-second-phase-of-vehicle-charging-stations-1.4003310|title=BC Hydro launches second phase of vehicle charging stations|date=6 July 2018|work=[[CTV News]] Vancouver|access-date=22 September 2018}}</ref>

In 2024, BC Hydro initiated agreements for nine wind farm projects, expected to collectively generate nearly 5,000 gigawatt hours annually, increasing the grid's capacity by 8% by 2031. This C$6 billion investment in [[Wind power|wind energy]] underscores BC Hydro's efforts to meet growing electricity demand with sustainable solutions.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-09 |title=Power-Hungry Canadian Province Tees Up $4 Billion of Wind Farms |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-09/power-hungry-canadian-province-tees-up-4-billion-of-wind-farms?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-climate&utm_content=climate&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic |access-date=2024-12-10 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Cost of Electricity==
In November 2013 the BC Minister of Energy and Mines announced a 10-year plan that will keep electricity rates as low as possible. Increases during the first five years will be between 9 and 3 percent annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/10-year-plan-means-predictable-rates-as-bc-hydro-invests-in-system.html|title=10 Year Plan Means Predictable Rates as BC Hydro Invests in System - BC Gov News|first=Energy and|last=Mines|date=26 November 2013|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223223540/http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/10-year-plan-means-predictable-rates-as-bc-hydro-invests-in-system.html|archive-date=23 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> BC Hydro's profitability is affected by its large debt, estimated to reach five billion dollars by 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/auditor-general-sounds-alarm-over-bc-hydro-accounting/article4199754/|title=Auditor General sounds alarm over BC Hydro accounting|work=[[The Globe and Mail]]|date=27 October 2011|last=Hunter|first=Justine}}</ref>

==Smart Meters==
BC Hydro's Smart Metering Program in 2011 introduced the installation of Itron C2S0D [[Smart meter]]s as mandatory.<ref>[https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam/BCHydro/customer-portal/documents/projects/smart-metering/smi-program-business-case.pdf SMART METERING & INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM BUSINESS CASE]</ref> In 2013 BC Hydro offered the Meter Choices Program for $20 to $30 monthly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/projects/smart_metering_infrastructure_program/meter-choice.html|title=Page or File Not Found|access-date=2014-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212042706/https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/projects/smart_metering_infrastructure_program/meter-choice.html|archive-date=2015-02-12|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/majority-of-smart-meter-holdouts-bow-to-bc-hydro-1.2466422|title=Majority of smart meter holdouts bow to BC Hydro}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/victoria-offers-smart-meter-alternatives/article13315970/|title=B.C. offers smart-meter alternatives in response to controversy|website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=18 July 2013 |last1=Meissner |first1=Dirk }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Energy|Canada}}
* [[2015 British Columbia blackout]]
* [[Electricity policy of Alberta#Supply|Alberta Electricity Policy]]
* [[Columbia Power Corporation]]
* [[Energy in Canada]]
* [[FortisBC]]
* [[HVDC Vancouver Island]]
* [[List of power stations in British Columbia]]
* [[List of power stations in Canada]]
* [[Western Interconnection|Western North America Interconnection]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|BC Hydro}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.powerpioneers.com/ Power Pioneers]
* [https://www.knowbc.com/var/knowbc/storage/images/books/encyclopedia-of-bc/b/bc-hydro-and-power-authority/maps/bc-hydro-generating-facilities-and-major-transmission-line/38688-1-eng-GB/BC-Hydro-Generating-Facilities-and-Major-Transmission-Line.gif Small grid map]<!--from http://knowbc.com/limited/Books/Encyclopedia-of-BC/B/BC-Hydro-and-Power-Authority . Voltage at https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/images/2012.11.27/electricitymap.png -->

{{British Columbia crown corporations}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bc Hydro}}
[[Category:BC Hydro|*]]
[[Category:Companies based in Vancouver]]
[[Category:Crown corporations of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Electric power companies of Canada]]
[[Category:Energy companies established in 1961]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power companies of Canada]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Canadian companies established in 1961]]