FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC) Application for a Certificate of Public ...

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Response:
FortisBC Inc. (FortisBC or the Company)
Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project
Response to British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC or the Commission)
Information Request (IR) No. 1
Submission Date:
October 5, 2012
Page 16
FortisBC has not applied for temporary permission from Measurement Canada pursuant to the
Policy on Granting Temporary Permission to Use Electricity Meters Without Reverification for
verification and sealing requirements. This is due to the timing of the expected CPCN approval
and the timing of the AMI deployment which alleviates the need to apply for dispensation from
Measurement Canada.
If the AMI Project is not approved, FortisBC will need to keep its compliance and retest program
going through 2013, so an application now for “temporary permission” is premature.
The AMI Project, if approved, will have the first meter exchanged in mid-2014 and the last meter
exchanged toward the end of 2015. FortisBC intends to keep its current retest and compliance
program intact through 2013 (which tests meters with seal expiration in 2014), so there will be
no exposure to overdue meters in 2014. The retest and compliance program can be
discontinued in 2014 since all remaining meters will be replaced in 2015.
If FortisBC did apply for temporary permission pursuant to the Measurement Canada Policy on
Granting Temporary Permission to Use Electricity Meters Without Reverification, it would not be
without cost. The policy states that an electricity contractor must:
a. ensure that the integrity and accuracy of electricity meters are maintained;
b. provide objective evidence to support a decision to keep electricity meters in
service without reverifying the subject meter types, models and/or groups of
meters; and
c. provide a plan that will include conditions to mitigate the risk of inaccurate meters
remaining in service.
FortisBC does not know why BC Hydro decided to apply for temporary permission, but assumes
that it may relate to a longer deployment timeframe that increased the risk of non-conformance.
7.0 Reference: Project Need
Exhibit B-1, Tab 3.0, Sec. 3.1, p. 18 &
Exhibit B-1, Tab 5.0, Sec. 5.3.4, pp. 92-94
“For clarity, the accelerated replacement of meters to comply with Measurement
Canada’s new sampling requirements will have to take place either via the proposed
AMI Project, or, absent approval of the AMI project, via a separate project as