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 237
101.2 Please explain why the transmission losses are higher than the distribution
losses.
Transmission losses are not higher than distribution losses. As stated in Assumption 2 on page
100 of the Application, FortisBC’s total system losses are estimated to be 8.8 percent of total
energy available for sale. In Assumption 3 on the same page, distribution losses are estimated
to be approximately 6.3 percent. As a result, transmission losses are estimated to be
approximately (8.8 – 6.3) = 2.5 percent.
102.0 Reference: Future Benefits
Exhibit B-1, Tab 6.0, Section 6.3
Outage Management
“Due to the limited visibility currently available to the System Control Center on the
status of the distribution network downstream from distribution substations … Crews
must be dispatched to patrol feeders and identify the specific sections affected by the
outage … The time-consuming nature of this process can be further impacted by the
occurrence of multiple outage events due to weather conditions … Outage data from
the AMI system can be used to map outages and determine location and number of
customers without service. Disruptions in power delivery can be detected at specific
transformers, down to individual metering endpoints with full visibility provided back to
the System Control Center. … Armed with this information, field crews’ response and
repair times will be reduced. … By implementing an Outage Management System
(OMS), FortisBC expects to reduce the vehicle time spent by power line technicians
locating specific outage causes, resulting in a reduction in outage times for customers,
and improved safety and reliability for both the Company and customers.” [Ref: B-1, pp.
101-102]