FortisBC is issuing a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) for additional power to meet its customers’ growing energy needs and support economic growth in B.C.’s Southern Interior region. As the company identifies promising projects, FortisBC will work with power providers to bring these new projects online and increase the amount of electricity available for its customers.
“For 127 years, FortisBC and its predecessor companies have provided families and businesses in BC’s southern interior region with safe, reliable, and affordable electricity, in part generated by our hydroelectricity facilities on the Kootenay River.” said Joe Mazza, vice president of energy supply and resource development.
“Over the years, more families and businesses have made this region their home. Our customers’ need for energy has grown and FortisBC has grown with them. In the last five years, we’ve seen about 10% increase in demand for energy on both our gas and electricity systems.”
“As a provider of critical energy services for nearly 1 .3 million homes and businesses in British Columbia, we have an important role in meeting our customers’ energy needs, while also advancing society’s goals towards a lower carbon energy future.”
“As our customers’ energy needs grow, we are working with Indigenous and local communities, local governments, businesses and organizations to meet this rising demand. This initiative will also be an opportunity for electricity generation providers to expand and create new jobs here in B.C., while ensuring that our customers continue to have the energy they need when they need it.”
FortisBC is looking for power providers with experience building projects in B.C. and with a focus on developing innovative, lower-carbon and renewable energy sources, including biomass, biogas, hydroelectricity, solar, wind and geothermal projects. The company is interested in innovative new or existing projects located in British Columbia, ideally having a minimum size of five megawatts. FortisBC is looking to add up to 1,100 gigawatt hours of energy supply as soon as 2030.
In addition to information about potential projects, FortisBC is interested in new or existing projects that have a strong Indigenous equity component or are Indigenous led. It is seeking an understanding of each project’s engagement activities with Indigenous and local communities, with the goal of providing opportunities for Indigenous contractors and supporting local and Indigenous-affiliated businesses. The company will be asking applicants if they have been working with Indigenous and local groups on the development of their projects and whether they have agreed to share in potential benefits arising from the projects.
The RFEOI is part of FortisBC’s plan to grow its energy systems in the Southern Interior, ensuring our customers have the energy they need. The company has seen greater than anticipated demand for electricity with population and economic growth in the region and increasing electrification of parts of the economy. FortisBC’s 2021 Long-Term Electric Resource Plan (LTERP) proposed new infrastructure projects for the region, including upgrades to the F. A. Lee Terminal Station and the addition of transformers to other substations in Kelowna. In the 2025-2027 Rate Setting Framework,
FortisBC is seeking approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to invest $157 million over the next three years in additional electricity infrastructure, such as new transformers and upgrades to substations and transmission lines in the Southern Interior. In 2026, the company anticipates filing a new LTERP that will include further investments in electricity infrastructure projects throughout the Southern Interior region.
Clean Energy BC Executive Director Kwatuuma Cole Sayers welcomed today’s announcement.
“We are committed to supporting B .C.’s transition to a low -carbon economy through effective climate policy and adding affordable, safe, and proven clean energy technologies to our energy mix.”
More information on the RFEOI is available at fortisbc.com/newpower.
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