Session: Power Generation

Triple Bottom Line Life Cycle Analysis (TBL-LCA) Methodology at BC Hydro
Yasuhiko Ogushi,^*   BC Hydro
Cheong Siew,   BC Hydro
Thomas Mah,   BC Hydro

BC Hydro is an electric utility company operating in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. The company is committed to meeting the energy needs of the Province with a focus on the environmental, social, and financial bottom lines. This Triple Bottom Line approach is being incorporated in business decisions to lead the way to a path to sustainability. The Triple Bottom Line Life Cycle Analysis (TBL-LCA) Methodology is the assessment framework for distribution assets that embodies the Triple Bottom Line principle.

BC Hydro has 56,000 km of distribution lines, 876,000 poles and 311,000 transformers and many other pieces of equipment and facilities across the Province. These distribution assets typically have an average of 30 to 40 years of life span. The sheer scale and long life span of distribution assets require a prudent, holistic and long-term view in investment decisions as it is costly to reverse the original decisions. Life-cycle thinking is a way of assessing impacts throughout the life cycle of assets and is essential in distribution asset management. The TBL-LCA Methodology is based on life-cycle thinking, and it further integrates a wide range of factors in the assessment framework to fulfil the commitment to Triple Bottom Line. Social and environmental factors, such as safety, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions, are incorporated in a consistent and quantitative manner. The goal of developing the TBL-LCA Methodology is to establish a framework that provides an optimum decision with an acceptable level of risk, satisfactory performance, and the lowest life-cycle cost. The TBL-LCA Methodology gives contrast to the traditional approach that tends to focus only on initial financial cost.

BC Hydro formulated the Methodology and piloted 10 assessment projects including distribution pole assessment, transformer selection, and conductor sizing. The outcomes of assessment projects indicate potential benefits and are expected to be reflected in system improvement projects and the development of standards in the following years. Further improvement of the Methodology for the next cycle of assessment is now underway.

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