Energy teamwork helps keep B.C. safe in any weather

As a company operating both gas and electricity systems in this province, FortisBC knows how important it is for our customers that these systems are up to the challenge of meeting spikes in demand during weather extremes.

We’re proud of the work we put into supplying energy to British Columbians and ensuring that our systems can flex to meet customers’ needs. That work is never more important than when the weather presses homes and businesses to turn up their heating or cooling systems, putting maximum stress on the supply and delivery of energy.

That’s why when the weather turns severe, it’s important that our energy systems work well and all energy forms are working side by side to carry the load. The cold snap that hit B.C. in February, for instance, in our view offers an important reminder of the need for both the gas and electricity systems to work together to keep British Columbians warm and safe when temperatures drop.

The energy systems in B.C. are aimed at handling not just everyday energy needs, the priority in designing and building our infrastructure is to make sure it can safely and efficiently handle the highest demand that customers place on it when temperatures soar or plummet.

Utilities like FortisBC have relied on careful planning to meet the peak-demand challenges of recent years, some of them record-setting. We stepped up to meet record need for energy during the coldest days in December 2022 and January 2024, when the gas system delivered nearly twice as much energy as B.C.’s electricity system to keep families safe and vital services and businesses running, demonstrating its ability to readily deliver large amounts of energy quickly.

More recently, during the week starting Feb. 10, the FortisBC gas system delivered the equivalent of around 19,523 megawatts (MW) during the peak hour of 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the coldest day, while the electricity system delivered 793 MW, demonstrating the ability of both systems to flex up during periods of high demand.

Meeting this kind of demand is precisely why we continue to invest in and strengthen our energy systems, including our liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities at Tilbury Island in Delta and Mt. Hayes near Ladysmith on Vancouver Island keeping them ready so we can meet customer needs when required to.

Just this month, the British Columbia Utilities Commission approved our application for the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project, a multimillion-dollar initiative that will include building?a new LNG facility at our Kelowna Gate Station and transporting LNG there by truck from the Tilbury LNG facility.

We’re working to invest in our electrical system, too. In 2024, we asked the BCUC for permission to upgrade substations in Kamloops and other B.C. Interior communities, as well as build a new substation in Kelowna and upgrade transmission lines serving the South Okanagan region. A decision on this application is expected this spring.

Being ready for weather-driven spikes in energy demand is not just a matter of continually upgrading or expanding with new power generation or introducing renewable energy sources. It also means working with our customers and giving them the tools they need to reduce their energy use.

We do this through conservation and energy efficiency programs that encourage customers to switch to higher-efficiency appliances (such as a dual fuel heating and cooling system consisting of a new electric heat pump with a new, high-efficiency gas furnace) and upgrade insulation in homes and businesses, thereby saving energy and reducing their gas and electricity bills, an important consideration for homes and businesses looking to manage energy bills.

To help better manage energy use and smooth out demand, we’ve also been introducing initiatives like our Power Hours Rewards Program, specific to electric heating and cooling and electric vehicles, and the Peak Plan Program, which focuses on gas heating.

We believe conservation measures such as these are an increasingly important tool for meeting the growing energy demand in B.C. homes and businesses. We’re investing almost $700 million in them as part of our 2024-27 Demand Side Management Expenditures Plan, which includes an innovative array of solutions to the province’s power, heating and cooling needs. They’re also popular with customers, helping them reduce the energy they use while staying comfortable in their homes and, potentially, saving money.

Alongside energy diversity, which we support through the strategic management of our gas and electrical systems, energy conservation measures are a key part of how we can help manage periods of high demand, lightening the load on our combined energy systems.

It’s our belief that our energy conservation programs, energy diversity approach and infrastructure investments combine to help ensure the security, sustainability and affordability of energy in B.C. as we take steps to work towards a lower carbon energy future.

Michelle Carman is FortisBC’s vice-president of customer service and external communications.