Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project
We’re planning to increase our capacity for the coldest days of the year in the Okanagan by developing a new small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and send-out facility next to an existing natural gas station on industrial zoned land owned by FortisBC in Kelowna. This project is the most feasible short-term solution to an expected shortfall of gas in the region by the winter of 2026/27.
Growing demand for energy in the Okanagan region
The Okanagan is one of the fastest-growing regions by population in British Columbia and is home to approximately 110,000 FortisBC customers who rely on our natural gas service every day. Based on forecasts of continued growth, there is a need to address increasing customer demand in case of an extreme cold weather event starting in the winter of 2026/27.
About this project
The Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project (OCMP) would result in annual transportation of LNG produced at FortisBC’s Tilbury facility in Delta, B.C., to the new small-scale facility in Kelowna. Each fall, up to 30 LNG tanker truckloads will be transported gradually to fill six prefabricated 190 cubic metre tanks in preparation for the winter months. No LNG production will take place at the facility and the tanks are expected to be empty for much of the year.
In the first winter of operation in 2026/27, one mobile tank and three portable LNG tankers will be filled and staged on site in anticipation of extreme cold weather events.
LNG stored at the Kelowna facility will only be vaporized and injected into our distribution system on the coldest day(s) of the year to meet peak energy demand in the Okanagan.
Project timelines and next steps
In accordance with the timeline set by our regulator, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), we submitted our application for the OCMP on July 30, 2024, and we are now awaiting their decision. If approved, construction is expected to begin in 2026.
July 30, 2024
FortisBC applies to the BCUC for the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project
February 13, 2024
Mitigation plan under development following BCUC decision
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Partnering with communities
We filed our initial application for the Okanagan Capacity Upgrade Project with our regulator, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) on November 16, 2020. We received the BCUC's decision on December 22, 2023, which included direction to examine potential short-term solutions and develop a mitigation plan to be filed for review by July 31, 2024. Updates on this process will be provided as they become available.
Regulatory process
In accordance with the timeline set out by our regulator, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), we submitted our application for the Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project on July 30, 2024, and we are now awaiting their decision.