The Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act was passed by the BC legislature in May 2025 and came into effect on July 1, 2025. It expands the authority of the BCER to oversee renewable energy projects. Under the Act, a renewable resource means biomass, biogas, geothermal heat, hydro, solar, ocean, wind or any other renewable resource identified by regulation at a later date.

The Act helps simplify the approvals process for these projects, eliminating the need for cross-ministry and agency permitting, by establishing the BCER as the single window for regulatory oversight and Crown consultation in accordance with strict environmental standards. This will be completed in a staged approach through regulation.

The BCER’s initial focus will be on wind- and solar-power projects, including those in BC Hydro’s 2024 Call for Power. The BCER now has delegated authority for natural resource authorizations for land, water, wildlife, forests, heritage conservation and aggregate mining. The legislation also expands the one-window approach by extending the BCER’s authority over agricultural land to renewable energy projects. Further, government can utilize the legislation in the future to provide the BCER authority to permit and regulate the full lifecycle of renewable energy projects as if they were an energy resource activity under the Energy Resource Activities Act. The diagram below outlines what the BCER would regulate for full lifecycle wind and solar. The BCER is currently engaging on the development of BCER specific regulations for wind- and solar-power projects, to be prepared if a government regulation comes in place.

As the single-window regulator, BCER is committed to streamlining regulatory oversight for renewable energy projects. This approach provides a more efficient pathway for decisions while maintaining robust regulatory standards.

For more specific information about regulating Renewables, please visit the Regulatory Update page.