Small Hydro

FortisBC seeking additional power to support growing customer needs

FortisBC seeking additional power to support growing customer needs

FortisBC Inc. is issuing a request for expressions of interest for additional power to meet its customers’ growing energy needs and support economic growth in British Columbia’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.

“As our customers’ energy needs grow, we are working with Indigenous and local communities, local governments, businesses and organizations to meet this rising demand,” said Joe Mazza, vice president of energy supply and resource development. “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, ideally having a minimum size of 5 MW. FortisBC is looking to add up to 1,100 GWh of energy supply as soon as 2030.

In addition, 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 ask 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.

The request is part of FortisBC’s plan to grow its energy systems in the Southern Interior. 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 February 2024, FortisBC announced a nearly $700 million investment over four years for energy conservation initiatives to help reduce emissions, lower energy costs for customers and reduce energy use in homes and businesses. In April 2024, FortisBC filed with the BCUC its 2025–2027 Rate Setting Framework, which proposed its plan to invest about $157 million over three years in new electricity infrastructure projects to expand its capacity. This plan includes projects such as adding additional transformers to substations, upgrading substations and upgrading 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.

FortisBC is a regulated utility focused on providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity and serves about 190,600 direct and indirect customers in British Columbia’s Southern Interior. FortisBC Inc. owns and operates four regulated hydroelectric generating plants and about 7,300 km of transmission and distribution power lines.