Feed In Tariff

The British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources has issued an Intentions paper on a propose Feed-In Tariff Regulation under the recently passed href=”http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th2nd/1st_read/gov17-1.htm” target=”_blank”>Clean Energy Act . The objective of the proposed Feed-In Tariff is to support fulfillment of British Columbia’s Energy Objectives. The new regulation is scheduled to come into force in early 2011.

The Regulation would require the BC Hydro to establish a feed-in tariff (“FIT”) in accordance with the Act. It would set out eligibility criteria for participation in a FIT along with other key aspects of the program. Full details of a FIT would be established by BC Hydro based on the requirements of the Regulation.

The full process for establishing the regulation consists of the following stages: Scoping - reviewing existing FITs in other jurisdictions, with particular focus on their relevance to the British Columbia electricity sector; Consultation Paper - This paper outlines the Ministry’s intentions for drafting the regulation; Consultation - hearing from interested stakeholders and the general public via responses to the Consultation Paper and other means as required; Drafting - preparing legal language for consideration by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (“the Minister”) and Lieutenant Governor-in-Council (Cabinet); Decision by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council on whether to enact a Feed-In Tariff Regulation; and Implementation - informing government staff and external stakeholders of the regulatory requirements, and enabling effective implementation should a Feed-In Tariff Regulation be brought into force. The purpose of the Consultation Paper is to inform stakeholders and the general public of Government’s intentions to develop the Regulation, to provide relevant background information and to solicit comments for consideration when drafting the Regulation. Differences from existing FITs are presented, and the process by which feedback can be given is detailed.

The discussion questions included in the paper are not intended to limit the scope for stakeholder or public input during the consultation process. The Intentions Paper can be accessed by clicking href=”http://www.empr.gov.bc.ca/RET/RenewableEnergyTechnologies/Documents/Feed%20In%20Tariff%20Consultation%20Paper.pdf” target=”_blank”>here The deadline for submitting responses to the Intentions Paper is September 30, 2010 Source: www.empr.gov.bc.ca