Canada’s biggest battery energy storage system went online ahead of schedule and under budget last week, on a patch of industrial land just a few kilometres from the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario.
The 250-megawatt/1,000 megawatt-hour project in Haldimand County is co-owned by the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), Northland Power, NRStor Inc., Aecon Concessions, and the Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation, all operating through the Oneida Energy Storage Limited Partnership (Oneida LP). It was originally priced at $800 million in 2023, but ultimately came in at $700 million, Northland Power said.
“With 278 lithium-ion battery units now officially drawing and storing power from Ontario’s electricity grid, Oneida LP will receive fixed capacity payments through a 20-year capacity services contract with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and generate revenue from energy sold into the Ontario electricity grid, as well as from providing ancillary services to the system,” SNGRDC said May 7.
“Originally developed under a 50/50 partnership between SNGRDC and NRStor Inc., the Oneida Energy Storage facility serves as a model for meaningful partnerships, prioritizing Indigenous involvement in the development of clean energy in Canada,” the development corporation added. The project more than doubles Ontario’s energy storage capacity from 225 to 475 MW, will eliminate 1.2 to 4.1 megatonnes of climate pollution over its operating life, “and will support more efficient operation of traditional assets like gas and nuclear while furthering growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.”
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