Click here for a PDF version of this Order.

Dockets UE20725 and UE20726
Order UE17-03

IN THE MATTER of an application by Maritime Electric Company, Limited for approval of a 2018 capital budget and the capital budget variances for 2017.

BEFORE THE COMMISSION ON
Tuesday, December 19, 2017.

J. Scott MacKenzie, Q.C., Chair

M. Douglas Clow, CPA, CA, Vice-Chair

John Broderick, Commissioner

---

Order

---

WHEREAS on or about August 2, 2017, Maritime Electric Company, Limited ("Maritime Electric" or the "Company") filed an application with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to section 17(1) of the Electric Power Act, R.S.P.E.I. 1988, Cap. E-4 (the "Act") seeking approval of the Company's 2018 annual capital budget (the "Application");

AND WHEREAS notice of the Application was published on the Commission website and in local newspapers inviting interested persons to submit written questions to Maritime Electric with respect to the Application;

AND WHEREAS interrogatories were exchanged and comments were received from interested members of the public and have been considered by the Commission;

AND WHEREAS the Company has filed a report on its actual expenditures on improvements or additions to its property for 2017 (the "2017 Capital Budget Variance Report"), as required by section 17(4) of the Act;

AND WHEREAS the Commission seeks to improve the capital budget process on a go forward basis to ensure that future capital budget applications include an enhanced level of detail and analysis;

NOW THEREFORE pursuant to section 17 of the Act, the Commission orders as follows:

1. The Company's 2018 annual capital budget is approved as filed with the Commission on or about August 2, 2017.  A summary of the approved 2018 capital expenditures is as follows:
   
   

   Summary of Approved 2018 Capital Expenditures
   Generation	$1,771,000
   Distribution	$20,113,000
   Transmission	$6,240,000
   Corporate	$2,164,000
   Capital General Expense	$527,000
   Interest During Construction	$400,000
   Less: Customer Contributions	(400,000)
   TOTAL	$30,815,000

2. The 2017 Capital Budget Variance Report is approved as filed with the Commission.

3. The Commission requires that the Company prepare and submit for approval by the Commission a capital expenditure justification and accounting policy of technical and financial capital expenditure criteria to be followed by the Company in its future capital budget applications.  The technical and financial justification criteria are to be contained in the document to be entitled Capital Expenditure Justification Criteria ("CEJC").  The CEJC is to be filed with the Commission by April 1, 2018.

4. Beginning with the 2019 annual capital budget, all future annual capital budget applications filed with the Commission will be based on the approved CEJC and shall include the following:

   • detailed technical and economic analysis of proposed projects, including evaluations of alternative supply options;

   • cost breakdown of specific capital projects with documentation supporting the estimates;

   • historical and projected analysis of spending profiles and of reliability performance;

   • analysis of available workforce resources to undertake proposed projects within established timelines and cost estimates; and

   • explanations on how priorities have been established for the projects contained in the proposed capital budget.

5. Maritime Electric shall consult Commission staff as needed to ensure that the above requirements are satisfied for future annual capital budget applications.

DATED at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Tuesday, December 19, 2017

BY THE COMMISSION:

J. Scott MacKenzie, Q,C., Chair

M. Douglas Clow, CPA, CA, Vice-Chair

John Broderick, Commissioner

---

Notice:

Section 12 of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission Act reads as follows:

12. The Commission may, in its absolute discretion, review, rescind or vary any order or decision made by it, or rehear any application before deciding it.

Parties to this proceeding seeking a review of the Commission's decision or order in this matter may do so by filing with the Commission, at the earliest date, a written Request for Review, which clearly states the reasons for the review and the nature of the relief sought.

Sections 13.(1), 13(2), 13(3), and 13(4) of the Act provide as follows:

13.(1)   An appeal lies from a decision or order of the Commission to the Court of Appeal upon a question of law or jurisdiction.

(2) The appeal shall be made by filing a notice of appeal in the Court of Appeal within twenty days after the decision or order appealed from and the rules of court respecting appeals apply with the necessary changes.

 (3) The Commission shall be deemed to be a party to the appeal.

(4) No costs shall be payable by any party to an appeal under this section unless the Court of Appeal, in its discretion, for special reasons, so orders.

NOTE:

In accordance with IRAC's Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, the material contained in the official file regarding this matter will be retained by the Commission for a period of 5 years.