BC Hydro Integrated Resource Plan Updates Province’s Demand Forecast

As noted in our earlier blog post, BC Hydro recently released its revised draft Integrated Resource Plan ("IRP") for public comment.

In reviewing the revised IRP, we noted that BC Hydro had updated its forecasts regarding provincial energy demand over the coming years.

Shown below is a comparison chart of the annual energy and peak demand forecasts from the August 2013 IRP as compared to the May 2012 IRP. Note that the comparison periods do not match precisely because the May 2012 IRP referenced five-year milestones starting in F2016 and ending on F2032, whereas the August 2013 IRP references five-year milestones starting in F2017 and ending on F2033 (e.g. one year later at each five-year milestone). The change in reference periods arises as the revised IRP is being submitted one year later and because it is now based on BC Hydro's December 2012 Load Forecast rather than the December 2011 Load Forecast that formed the basis for the May 2012 IRP.