Provincial legislation provides the BCER Board of Directors authority to make regulations regarding the management of a range of policy issues. Prior to Board approval of a regulatory proposal, there are several key steps with engagement touchpoints throughout the process. These include:

• Issue identification
• Statement of policy intentions (Initial Engagement)
• Identification of policy options
• Statement of proposed regulatory policy (Secondary Engagement)
• Drafting and approval of final regulation

The issue identification step involves outlining the core policy issues that are to be managed. For each issue identified, the BCER provides an “Intentions Statement” articulating high-level direction to manage the issue. The BCER engages on these “policy intentions” to validate the scope of the regulatory framework, hear from interested parties regarding priority issues, and explore initial options for the management of such issues.

Identification of policy options requires identifying specific approaches to manage each policy issue identified. Feedback from engagements is a critical input to this analysis, ensuring recommended options consider the needs and preferences of potentially impacted parties.

Once recommended options have been identified and documented, the BCER will provide additional engagement opportunities on the proposed regulatory policy. Following these engagements, the BCER will seek endorsement of the regulatory policy from the BCER Board of Directors before working with the Ministry of Attorney General to draft the final regulation. Once the final regulation is approved by the BCER Board of Directors, it will be brought into force and implemented through the introduction of new guidance and manuals, updates to application and oversight systems, and the development of policies and standard permit conditions for areas outside of the scope of the regulation.

Written feedback for the initial engagement phase closed on Aug. 1, 2025. BCER Staff received feedback from First Nations, industry, local governments and other interested parties in response to our engagement on policy intentions. These comments and submissions, along with direct feedback from engagement sessions, have informed the development of the regulatory policy proposed in the Secondary Engagement Phase. The following information has been retained for archival purposes only:

The Renewables Framework: Policy Intention document below outlines key policy issues the BCER will consider within the regulatory framework for wind and solar projects. It contains a description of the issue under consideration, a statement of the BCER’s policy intention relating to it, and a set of potential options to illustrate the different ways in which the issue could potentially be managed.

Click the image below to open the PDF document:

Public engagement on the discussion paper has closed. Please submit any feedback to info@rep-spa.ca. We will continue to review and consider feedback received as we move to the next stage of regulatory development. The following information has been retained for archival purposes only:

The BCER is currently accepting feedback regarding proposed regulatory policy for the lifecycle oversight of renewable energy projects. Regulatory policy proposals are available for your review in the Proposed Regulatory Policies for Renewable Energy Projects discussion paper below. This discussion paper builds on the Policy Intentions document shared in the Initial Engagement Phase by outlining specific regulatory and policy interventions to achieve the policy intentions previously communicated.

The paper outlines regulatory policy to address four key thematic areas:

• Environmental Protection
• Supporting Reconciliation
• Fostering Social Well-Being
• Protecting Public Safety

The regulatory policies proposed within the paper reflect feedback from our initial round of engagement. They are informed by a comprehensive regulatory development process that involved BCER staff with backgrounds in environmental management, First Nations relations, community engagement and engineering.

At this stage, we are seeking additional feedback from First Nations and key interested parties regarding the potential impacts of the proposed regulatory policy. This feedback will inform the final regulatory policy proposal considered by the BCER Board of Directors later this fall.

We have provided a separate document for providing feedback that summarizes the proposed regulations tables from this discussion paper. Using this form is optional and it is intended to make it easier to submit specific feedback on the proposed policies.

Please submit written feedback to info@rep-spa.ca by Nov. 14, 2025.

Click the image below to open the discussion paper:

As part of the regulatory framework, the BCER is developing application guidance materials to support proponents of renewable energy projects in B.C. Further information for proponents can be found here.

This presentation provides a brief introduction to who we are and what we do. It describes our single-window approach to regulating a variety of energy resource activities, including our new roles in relation to transmission lines and renewable resources, such as wind and solar.

This powerpoint presentation outlines the BCER's new streamlined permitting framework for wind and solar energy projects in British Columbia.