Sustainability
We’ve always valued sustainability within our organization, and we’re committed to leading the transition toward a lower-carbon energy future for British Columbians. To do this successfully, we must continue to integrate sustainable business practices and balance financial, environmental and social factors.
Our commitment to sustainability
Our 2023 Sustainability Report details our commitment to sustainability through the actions and achievements we’ve made alongside British Columbians over the past year. This includes how we’re working together with Indigenous and local communities toward a lower-carbon energy future to support the province’s climate action goals.
Our areas of focus
Through our materiality assessment, we identified topics to inform FortisBC’s sustainability reporting. As a result, we redefined our four key areas of focus that align with our existing reporting approach, our values and business strategy.
Energy transition and environment
As part of our commitment to a lower-carbon energy future, we’re investing in renewable and low-carbon gases1 and in innovative ways our customers can use energy more efficiently. While we work to deliver lower-carbon energy, we’re also passionate about what we do on the ground to protect the natural spaces and biodiversity around our operations to ensure they continue to thrive.
Indigenous and local communities
We’re proud to work with municipalities and Indigenous communities across B.C. as we collectively make progress towards meeting provincial climate action goals, strengthening grassroots initiatives and providing economic opportunities for local and Indigenous businesses. We’ll continue to strengthen these relationships and create mutually beneficial partnerships to help communities grow and prosper.
Operational performance and adaptation
It’s important we invest in our transmission, distribution and generation systems so we can continue providing our customers with reliable, safe and affordable energy today and for years to come. Investing in our infrastructure through major projects and maintenance allows us to maintain strong, resilient systems and further advance innovative, lower-carbon energy solutions.
People and culture
Our more than 2,700 employees make it possible for us to achieve all we set out to do. They’re the driving force behind our success and it’s important we provide them with a safe, inclusive work environment that also reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We’ll continue to grow and learn from our employees to ensure they’re supported with the tools they need to develop and excel in their roles.
Our values
Our organization is guided by five core values that are fundamental to how we operate and served as our foundation as we created our approach to sustainability practices and reporting.
| Value | What it means to us | How we live our values |
|---|---|---|
Safe | We put safety first. Safety is always top of mind. | Internally, we’re committed to a strong safety culture, ensuring our employees go home safe every day. Externally, we work to educate customers, contractors and others about safe practices around gas and electricity. We also monitor our system 24 hours a day 7 days a week to ensure our infrastructure is delivering safe and reliable energy to British Columbians. |
Customer centric | We value our customers’ business. | Every day we work to provide our customers with safe, reliable service and anticipate their energy needs. We also employ a team of community and key account managers, who work closely with municipalities, Indigenous communities and organizations to understand and address their energy needs. |
Collaborative | We work as one company, one team with shared success. | We strive to create a collaborative environment and invest in an inclusive workplace, which strengthens our ability to make sound business decisions and recruit and retain the best talent. Our teams work together as locally minded community champions to deliver successful projects and initiatives that benefit our customers and the communities where we live and work. |
Respectful | We are respectful, honest and ethical. | We focus on creating a safe working environment where everyone is valued, respected and treated with fairness. We support inclusion and diversity by providing education for our employees on respect, anti-bullying and cultural awareness. |
Progressive | We seek better ways. | We research innovative energy solutions to lead BC’s lower carbon energy future so our customers will continue to have access to the energy products and solutions they need in a sustainable manner. Along with anticipating and innovating for BC’s future energy needs, we also work to deliver and improve upon cutting-edge technology that helps reduce environmental impacts. |
Investing in green projects
Our commitment to a lower-carbon energy future extends into investment opportunities through our Clean Growth Innovation Fund which enables us to invest an additional $4.9 million per year in innovative GHG emissions-reducing projects such as renewable gas initiatives that include Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)2 and hydrogen. These projects will be funded in partnership with government and industry.
In July 2020, FortisBC Energy Inc. issued its inaugural $200 million Green Bond. The transaction generated interest from investors which resulted in a significant oversubscription. The offering was broadly distributed between 56 buyers with green investors representing 86 per cent of the allocations. Capital raised by the 2020 Green Bond was used to fund RNG projects in Salmon Arm, City of Vancouver and Kelowna, as well as fund demand side management initiatives and incentives for natural gas on-road vehicles and liquified natural gas marine vessels. This is highlighted in the 2021 Green Bond Impact Report.
Sustainability performance summary
2023 sustainability performance summary
1FortisBC uses the term renewable and low-carbon gas to refer collectively to the low-carbon gases or fuels that the utility can acquire under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Clean Energy) Regulation, which are: Renewable Natural Gas (also called
RNG or biomethane), hydrogen, synthesis gas (from wood waste) and lignin. FortisBC’s renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio currently includes only Renewable Natural Gas. Other gases and fuels may be added to the program over time. Depending
on their source, all of these gases have differing levels of lifecycle carbon intensity. However, all of these gases are low carbon when compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The current burner tip emission factor
of RNG is 0.27 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ) and the current renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio lifecycle emissions for stationary combustion are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s
low carbon threshold for lifecycle carbon intensity of 30.8 gCO2e/MJ as set out in the 2024 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation amendments.
2Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) is produced in a different manner than conventional natural gas. It is derived from biogas, which is produced from decomposing organic waste from landfills, agricultural waste
and wastewater from treatment facilities. The biogas is captured and cleaned to create RNG. When RNG is added to North America’s natural gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. This means we’re unable to direct RNG to a specific
customer. But the more RNG is added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and overall greenhouse gas emissions.