BCUC orders third-party investigation into BC Hydro due to explosion
Global News
The province’s energy utility regulator has ordered the Crown corporation to submit a third-party report.
One month after BC Hydro apologized for the failures that caused an underground electrical vault on a busy downtown Vancouver street to suddenly explode, the province’s energy utility regulator has ordered the Crown corporation to submit a third-party report, addressing its culture of safety and compliance.
On July 21, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) directed BC Hydro to initiate an independent third-party investigation examining the root cause of the explosion and fire outside the iconic Marine Building on Burrard Street on Feb. 24, 2023.
“We are very concerned about the incident that took place and we take safety matters seriously,” Krissy Van Loon with the BCUC told Global News in an interview.
“It’s part of our mandate to make sure that utilities deliver safe and reliable service to their customers.”
Witnesses told Global News it was a miracle no one was killed.
Two people were injured while several businesses were damaged and forced to close for months as repairs are completed.
At a press conference on June 22, BC Hydro’s president and CEO told media the incident “should never have happened.”
The explosion caused by a buildup of combustible gases from a leaking gasket was preventable, said Chris O’Riley, who admitted BC Hydro had been warned in 2016 — when a report flagged 14 underground vaults as being high risks of causing severe injury or death if not properly maintained or replaced.
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