Whereas Division One, Section 82 of the Community Charter states A municipality may provide any service that the council considers necessary or desirable, and may do this directly or through another public authority or another person or organization; And whereas BC Hydro purchases green energy from municipalities and corporations such as Silversmith Power and Light Corporation, and that municipalities should have the option to obtain and use green energy within their communities to reduce the increasing energy costs applied by BC Hydro for the operation of their facilities and, in addition, to provide an alternate option that has low impact on aquatic eco-systems, habitat, land and communities; And whereas the Council for the Village of Nakusp has adopted a proclamation to obtain certified green energy produced locally for all Village owned buildings and infrastructure at a competitive price and that the option to purchase green energy be provided to all municipalities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the BC Utilities Commission be required to provide availability and options for municipalities to obtain green energy through BC Hydro, a cooperative, municipal utility, or other means, and to work with BC Hydro and municipalities with regulatory needs required to meet these goals.
BC Utilities Commission At the present time our interpretation is that there is no opportunity for retail customers in BC to purchase electricity from anyone other than the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority BC Hydro if that electricity must travel along the transmission system to get to them. Specifically, section 7 of Direction No. 8 to the British Columbia Utilities Commission BCUC states: Except on application by the authority, the commission must not set rates for the authority BC Hydro that would result in the direct or indirect provision of unbundled transmission services to retail customers in British Columbia, or to those who supply such customers. As a result, unless upon application by BC Hydro, we are unable to set a rate or approve a tariff that would allow retail customers to nominate from what supplier their electricity originates and for that supplier to receive a direct payment for that electricity.