North Glengarry Township will be the future home to a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on Skye Road, north of Dunvegan.
Last year, North Glengarry township council unanimously supported a proposal by Toronto-based Compass Energy Consulting to set up the units on land between Highway 417 and Skye Road.
A BESS is connected directly to the electric grid, capturing and storing energy to be fed back into the grid when an energy imbalance occurs. This type of power storage facility reduces greenhouse gas emissions, limits the strain on the electrical infrastructure and improves energy reliability.
Plans for the 17-megawatt BESS began in 2023 when a public meeting was held in Dunvegan, explaining the potential benefits of a power storage system for Ontario’s electricity needs. Residents were provided information on the importance of the location and the ability to position the electric storage facility at proximity to the existing Hydro One transformer station.
The public meeting allowed the community and municipality to offer feedback for the BESS on 15 acres of vacant farmland. Concerns for noise levels were raised, but residents were assured the levels would be within Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) limits and would be monitored once the system was set up.
The energy storage system will encompass 11 container-like units using five of the 15 acres of agriculture land rezoned to accommodate the facility. The BESS will be fenced for security and the surrounding land will continue to be farmed.
Environmental safety concerns are at issue with the installation of an energy storage facility, particularly the potential for fire and extinguishing it. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is the preferred type of Li-ion battery used in BESS facilities, having a lower risk of spontaneous ignition. Systems will be in place to ensure firefighters are fully equipped to deal with battery fire hazards such as toxic gases and in the prevention of contaminated runoff water.
