Certain businesses can continue to defer payments on their electricity bills.
BC Hydro will allow certain businesses defer electricity bill payments for another three months, according to a release issued by the provincial government.
The move is part of BC Hydro’s COVID-19 Relief Program, which was announced back on April 1 and allowed eligible industrial customers with accounts in their transmission rate category to defer 50 per cent of their electricity bill payments for the March to May billing period.
However, as a result of today’s announcement, eligible industrial customers will now be allowed to defer a portion of their bill payments until the end of August.
“Thousands of people throughout our province rely on good, family-supporting jobs created by the mining sector, which continues to feel the impacts of lower demand for its products and depressed commodity prices due to COVID-19,” Bruce Ralston, minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources, said in a press release. “Our government continues to take action during these extraordinary times to help sustain the industry, protect jobs, and build a strong economic recovery.”
Deferred amounts will be repaid over a future nine-month period and are subject to interest.
According to the province, major industries with accounts in BC Hydro’s transmission rate category use large amounts of energy and represent about 25 per cent of BC Hydro’s domestic electricity load in British Columbia.
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