IMPROVING BC HYDRO PROJECT DELIVERY, TRANSPARENCY, AND SERVICE STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS CUSTOMERS (2026)

Issue

With renewed focus on infrastructure, manufacturing, clean energy, and economic resilience in response to international trade pressures, access to timely and reliable electricity is critical to British Columbia’s business community. Delays, poor communication, and lack of transparency in BC Hydro’s design, permitting, connection, and service processes are causing significant cost overruns, deferred operations, and lost productivity. The Provincial Government and BC Hydro must implement clear service standards, accountability measures, and process improvements to support economic growth.

Background

BC Hydro is a provincial Crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of British Columbia. As the primary provider of electricity infrastructure and grid connection services in British Columbia, BC Hydro plays a central role in enabling commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential development across the province.

In the current economic climate—marked by increased domestic infrastructure investment, supply chain realignment, electrification initiatives, and international trade pressures—timely access to reliable power is more critical than ever. Businesses across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, technology, resource development, construction, and data infrastructure, require predictable timelines and transparent processes for electrical permitting, upgrades, and new service connections.

However, numerous businesses across British Columbia report systemic challenges in working with BC Hydro, including:

• Long and unpredictable design review timelines
• Limited or inconsistent communication regarding project status
• Changing technical requirements late in the process requiring costly re-engineering
• Lack of clarity regarding connection costs and scheduling
• Delays in energization of completed projects
• Slow response times for service-related issues
• Short-notice changes or cancellations of planned outages
• Communication failures regarding outage notifications

These issues are not isolated to a single region. Businesses operating across multiple communities—including Interior, Lower Mainland, and Northern BC regions—report similar patterns. Commercial and industrial projects often involve hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in electrical infrastructure investment, and construction projects province-wide represent hundreds of millions of dollars annually requiring BC Hydro coordination.

Delays in permitting, connection approvals, and infrastructure upgrades create significant downstream impacts:

• Cost Escalation – Extended construction timelines increase labour, equipment rental, engineering, and financing costs.
• Deferred Revenue – Businesses cannot open or expand operations as planned, reducing economic activity and tax generation.
• Operational Complexity – Temporary power solutions, transformer rentals, and revised construction sequencing increase risk and expense.
• Investment Uncertainty – Lack of predictable timelines discourages private sector investment in major capital projects.

Businesses with high electrical load requirements—such as manufacturing facilities, large-scale commercial developments, data centres, and clean energy installations—are particularly vulnerable to prolonged design reviews and upgrade delays.

Additionally, coordination between BC Hydro and regulatory bodies, including the BC Energy Regulator, can result in compounded delays for renewable and clean energy projects. In some cases, completed solar installations remain unconnected to the grid for extended periods due to upgrade timing and coordination challenges.

As British Columbia continues to promote electrification, decarbonization, and industrial growth, inefficiencies in grid connection and project execution undermine provincial policy objectives.

Given that BC Hydro operates under provincial jurisdiction and government oversight, improvements to transparency, accountability, service standards, and process efficiency require leadership from the Provincial Government.

The Chamber Recommends

That the Provincial Government:

1. Establish and Implement a Formal Customer Service Agreement (CSA):
   1. Develop, in consultation with stakeholders from commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, a standardized Customer Service Agreement outlining clear service benchmarks, communication standards, response times, design review timelines, and outage notification protocols.
2. Introduce Transparent Project Timelines and Milestone Reporting:
   1. Require BC Hydro to provide documented timelines for design review, cost estimation, approvals, construction scheduling, and energization, with mandatory notification and justification for material changes.
3. Implement Accountability and Performance Metrics:
   1. Establish measurable service delivery KPIs related to permitting timelines, connection approvals, outage communications, and customer responsiveness, with public reporting mechanisms.
4. Streamline Permitting and Inter-Agency Coordination:
   1. Improve coordination between BC Hydro and other provincial regulatory bodies to reduce duplication, eliminate bottlenecks, and expedite clean energy and infrastructure projects.
5. Develop a Dedicated Commercial & Industrial Project Liaison Program:
   1. Create specialized teams within BC Hydro to support large or high-load business customers, ensuring consistent points of contact and proactive project management.