FortisBC receives approval from the BCUC for the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project

Mar 4, 2025

KELOWNA, B.C.—March 4, 2025: FortisBC Energy Inc. (FortisBC) has received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) for its proposed Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project (OCMP). Through this project, FortisBC will help meet future energy demand on the coldest days of the year in the Okanagan region, starting in the winter of 2026/27.

The OCMP will involve construction of a small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and send-out facility along Spall Road in Kelowna, next to an existing natural gas station on industrial zoned land owned by FortisBC.

The facility will be constructed in two phases, beginning in 2026. The initial phase of construction will support the first winter of operation in 2026/27 by incorporating one mobile tank (approximately 60 cubic metres) and three portable LNG tankers that will be filled and staged on site in preparation of extreme cold weather events.

The second and final phase of construction is expected to begin in 2027, resulting in six prefabricated horizontal storage tanks being permanently installed on-site to increase storage capacity, consistent with demand growth. The prefabricated tanks will each have a capacity of 190 cubic metres, resulting in a facility storage capacity of approximately 1,140 cubic metres, or about 300,000 US gallons.

All stored LNG will be transported annually from our Tilbury facility in Delta, B.C., with no LNG production taking place in Kelowna. The tanks on-site are expected to be empty for most of the year.

To learn more about the OCMP, and to stay up to date on project timelines, visit the project webpage at talkingenergy.ca/okanagan.

Backgrounder

FortisBC is working to meet increasing demand for natural gas across growing regions in British Columbia, such as the Okanagan. In December 2023, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) directed FortisBC to examine potential short term mitigation solutions and develop a plan to provide sufficient peak demand to the Interior Transmission System in the event of a 1 in 20-year cold weather event occurring in the winter of 2026/27 or subsequent period. The application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project was filed with the BCUC on July 30, 2024.

Artist’s rendering of the OCMP facility

 

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