What is a battery storage facility?
Battery storage systems are designed to store energy during periods of low demand and release it back into the grid during peak hours. These facilities are used to improve grid reliability, support the integration of renewable energy (such as wind and solar power), spur local job creation, and provide backup power during emergencies.
Ultimately, these facilities are intended to eliminate the need for fossil fuel-based power plants over time.
VIDEO: Energy Storage: Powering Ontario’s Communities
Learn more about energy storage on the IESO website.
What role does Haldimand County play in the LT1-RFP process?
All local battery energy storage system (BESS) projects considered through the LT1-RFP process are independent from Haldimand County. Driven by the province and the IESO, the County has no direct decision-making authority over which projects are awarded to proceed.
Projects may agree in writing to adhere to specific criteria developed by the County to strengthen their bid to the province. This is the only mechanism of control that the County currently has to help ensure that any projects going ahead meet County standards in terms of public safety, consultation, acceptable visual barriers, land use planning, and monetary contributions.
HOWEVER, agreeing to County criteria does not automatically mean a project will be approved by the province, only that they agree to adhere to our conditions should they be selected. Similarly, projects that do not agree to our criteria are not automatically disqualified. The advancement of any project is at the sole discretion of the IESO and the province.
For more details on specific County criteria, see Report CAO-03-2023.
Benefits to the Community
It is expected that there will be a number of local benefits to supporting battery storage facilities within the county. Some of these include, but are not limited to: