1. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. You’ve spent over 25 years in the energy industry. Can you tell us a bit about your career path to your current role as President and CEO at FortisBC, and what your focus is now?
I’ve been with the organization since 2004, holding various roles in finance, strategic planning, regulatory affairs, customer service and information systems.
My journey in energy began back in 1993 when I started working at Westcoast Energy Inc. as a financial analyst before moving along to Terasen Inc. in 2004 as assistant treasurer. I then stepped away from energy for a while before joining the Fortis group in 2007 when Fortis Inc. acquired Terasen.
As FortisBC’s president and CEO, my focus is leading the organization towards a sustainable, lower carbon energy future by helping to advance climate action goals, establishing ourselves as a low carbon energy leader and helping to build an organization that’s regarded as a top employer in British Columbia, all while ensuring we continue to deliver the affordable, reliable energy British Columbians want and need.
2. You oversee FortisBC’s natural gas and electricity business operations. How do you see the two energy systems working together on affordability, resiliency, and environmental performance?
As an energy solutions provider that delivers both natural gas and electricity, we hold expertise in both systems — how they work, what their strengths are and what it takes to deliver both energies safely and effectively. It also makes FortisBC uniquely positioned to help advance an integrated, lower carbon energy future in B.C.
In 2020, we commissioned a leading global energy consultancy, Guidehouse, to examine potential pathways forward to meet provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. They published their results in a report titled Pathways for British Columbia to achieve its GHG Reduction Goals. The report found that maintaining the current utilization of the gas system in the province at 2019 levels, while increasing the capacity of the electric system, allows B.C. to reduce GHG emissions by 80 per cent at a lower overall cost versus reducing the use of the gas system and relying mainly on electricity. This can be accomplished by dramatically increasing the amount of renewable and low carbon gas in our delivery system. While targeted electrification remains an important part of our energy future, we envision using more renewable and low carbon gases with ongoing emphasis on energy efficiency and effective energy use. We refer to this solution as a “diversified pathway.”
We have an opportunity to demonstrate to British Columbians that the gas delivery system can be a decarbonized energy network — just as the province’s electricity grid is. By using both gas and electricity systems together to move cleaner energy, we’re able to create a provincial energy system that is resilient, sustainable and economic. It reinforces a united system that can deliver more renewable and low carbon energy in different ways to meet GHG emissions reduction targets. It’s a system that better withstands peaks in energy demand when British Columbians need it most and, most importantly, one that addresses the unique energy needs of British Columbia.
“We have an opportunity to demonstrate to British Columbians that the gas delivery system can be a decarbonized energy network — just as the province’s electricity grid is.”
– Roger Dall’Antonia, President and CEO, FortisBC
3. Affordability is front of mind for British Columbians these days — how does FortisBC message on this issue in the current environment?
FortisBC remains committed to delivering energy safely, reliably and at the lowest reasonable cost. For many, individual finances became a greater concern than ever before through the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting our customers’ energy needs in a cost effective, sustainable way should not come at the cost of providing ways to reduce their GHG emissions.
For our natural gas customers, Renewable Natural Gas is an effective way to reduce GHG emissions. It’s a drop-in fuel, meaning that it can be used without any changes to a customer’s existing appliances. This provides our customers with an economic way to reduce their own emissions while avoiding costly retrofits, enabling them to make an immediate impact without having to commit to retrofitting their home energy systems or purchase new appliances.
We’re also committed to educating our customers on energy efficiency, helping them reduce costs and emissions while using the energy they truly need. Over the last five years, we’ve committed over $368 million to help customers use less energy and lower their monthly bills.
4. B.C. has set some ambitious targets on emissions. Can you tell us how FortisBC is leveraging the gas system to achieve the provincial government’s emission reduction goals?
The B.C. provincial government’s CleanBC Roadmap reaffirms that FortisBC’s gas system will continue to play an important role in decarbonization and accelerate the transition towards renewable and low carbon energy, including Renewable Natural Gas and hydrogen.
The report Pathways for British Columbia to achieve its GHG Reduction Goals found that, to meet provincial 2050 emissions reductions targets, around 73 per cent of the natural gas in our system will need to be renewable or low carbon. FortisBC is focused on increasing the amount of renewable and low carbon energy in its system to meet that goal and, based on our growth, we’re confident we’ll get there. We project that by 2025, we’ll have enough Renewable Natural Gas to displace 11 per cent of our total gas supply, and we’ve set a goal to have 15 per cent of the natural gas in our system be either renewable or low carbon by 2030. We are ahead of schedule to meeting that goal. At 15 per cent of our total gas supply, we would have enough renewable and low carbon gas to meet the needs of more than 333,000 homes without customers needing to upgrade or change existing equipment.
5. As we come out of the pandemic something top of mind for many is labour shortages in critical skills areas. How can Canada’s gas delivery industry ensure it has the skilled people needed to advance the energy future?
It’s a two-pronged approach — first, we need to continue our focus on developing from within. Further increasing the knowledge, experience and skills of our existing staff better prepares our workforce for the future while enhancing employee engagement.
Second, we’re re-evaluating our approach to attracting top talent from both within and outside the utility industry. This means taking an objective look at our traditional recruitment strategies to see how we can evolve. Diversity and inclusion is crucial, not just to build a healthy workplace, but to gain new and varied viewpoints to help advance our priorities.
We’re partnering with educational institutions, trade organizations, training centres and different communities to share information about the career opportunities available in the energy industry. We’re taking a hard look at the critical skills we’re seeking, placing greater emphasis on intangibles and soft leadership skills — we can cultivate these skills internally and seek them out externally.
Our industry is facing significant and rapid change from a policy, regulatory, customer and technology perspective. Building a diverse and inclusive workforce that is best prepared to take advantage of future opportunities will be crucial in fulfilling our long term energy transition strategy.