The province of Ontario has brought one of the largest battery storage projects in Canada online as it aims to power a growing economy.
Tuesday, Minister Stephen Lecce announced the successful completion and start of commercial operations of the Napanee Battery Energy Storage System, on-budget and approximately five weeks ahead of schedule.
The 250-megawatt facility is capable of powering 250,000 homes for up to four hours during peak demand periods and is one of the largest operating battery storage projects in Canada, marking a major milestone in strengthening Ontario’s clean electricity grid.
The project, valued at $600 million, was selected through the Independent Electricity System Operator’s Expedited Long-Term 1 competitive procurement, which was launched by the government in 2022, and supported the single largest battery procurement in Canadian history.
With Ontario’s electricity demand forecasted to grow by up to 90 per cent by 2050, offsetting periods of high demand and extreme weather periods is crucial to maintaining grid reliability and delivering long-term value to ratepayers while maximizing all the province’s energy infrastructure.
The Napanee BESS includes 284 battery storage units, transformer stations, transmission connection facilities and ancillary components that will store electricity from Ontario’s nuclear facilities during periods of low demand and return that stored power to the system when demand is higher.
“It is fantastic to see this battery storage facility come to operation, on time and on budget,” said Ric Bresee, MPP for Hastings-Lennox and Addington.
“As the province grows its electricity production capacity, this region is a key part of that expansion. With a mix of traditional generation, alternative power generation, and battery storage, we are well situated for the power demands of the future. I want to thank the Minister of Energy and Mines, IESO, and OPG for this great investment in Hastings Lennox and Addington.”
Development and construction of the Napanee BESS supported 120 jobs, including skilled trades, engineering, transportation, and equipment manufacturing roles.
10 to 12 of those jobs will be permanent moving forward, plus there will be significant opportunities for local people in skilled trades for ongoing support.
The project is owned and operated by Altura, which is a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation.
