The Ontario government unveiled a new battery storage project in southwestern Ontario that will provide reliable and affordable clean energy to families and businesses. Once built, the Tilbury Battery Storage Project will store 80 megawatts of power equivalent to powering 80,000 thousand homes. Walpole Island First Nation has partnered with Boralex to advance this project, which will begin construction later this year and support over 150 local jobs.
"Battery storage is a critical component to support the responsible expansion of Ontario's clean and reliable grid that will provide affordable energy to Ontario families and businesses," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Electrification. "I want to congratulate Boralex and the Walpole Island First Nation community in reaching this milestone achievement which, once connected to the grid, will attract new investments and reduce energy costs for Ontario's ratepayers."
The government launched the largest battery procurement framework in Canadian history earlier this year, which saw nearly three thousand megawatts of storage capabilities secured to expand Ontario's clean, reliable, and affordable energy grid. This project was awarded in 2023 as part of the government's first procurement for new clean energy storage resources and is estimated to be completed in late 2025.
"Our government is working hard to ensure communities have reliable, affordable, clean power to support families and our critical farming, food processing and manufacturing sectors here in Chatham-Kent-Leamington." said Trevor Jones, the Member of Provincial Parliament for Chatham-Kent-Leamington. "This important investment by Boralex and the Walpole Island First Nation will improve reliability and strengthen our supply chains, particularly during peak demand periods like our harvest season."
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has indicated that the province will need at least 60 per cent more energy in the next 25 years. To support the demand for more power, battery storage facilities will enable generated clean power to be stored and deployed when needed further advancing Ontario's clean energy advantage.
"Boralex is ecstatic to have reached this milestone for the Tilbury Battery Storage project, it is a testament to our team's skill, dedication, and hard work. Along with our equity partner, Walpole Island First Nation, we're proud to contribute to Ontario's clean energy future by providing reliable and stable capacity," said Adam Rosso, Boralex Senior Vice President of Development in North America. "This project, alongside our other battery storage initiatives, solidifies Boralex's leadership in utility-scale energy storage. We thank Minister Lecce and the Government of Ontario for their commitment to meeting Ontario's growing energy needs and look forward to further collaborations."
Building energy storage facilities is just one part of the government's plan to meet growing energy demand and reduce emissions by expanding Ontario's clean, reliable, and affordable energy grid, including:
- Nuclear Energy - Advancing clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear power through the largest pre-development work at Bruce Power in 30 years, four small modular reactors at Darlington and supporting Ontario Power Generation's plan for refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generation Station.
- Hydroelectric Energy - Investing in existing hydroelectric stations, including a $1 billion refurbishment program that the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station in Niagara Falls.
- New Transmission Infrastructure - Designating and prioritizing transmission lines in Southwestern, Northeastern and Eastern Ontario that will power job creators, including EV and EV battery manufacturing and clean steel production.
- Keeping Costs Down - Launching new energy efficiency programs on January 1, 2025, and building on the government's $342 million expansion of existing energy efficiency programs which are helping families and businesses reduce their electricity usage and save money on their energy bills.
- Additional Competitive Procurements - Launching the largest competitive procurement of clean energy resources in the province's history in addition to successfully re-contracting existing capacity resources at about a 30 per cent discount.
While Ontario already has one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, the government is investing further in non-emitting forms of energy, including expanding and renewing its nuclear and hydroelectric fleet, with renewables able to compete in the largest competitive energy procurement launched last month. The government will harness renewable energy through Canada's largest energy storage expansion. Ontario will continue to support clean, reliable, and affordable energy while opposing the federal government's carbon tax that is making fuel, gasoline, home heating and food more expensive on consumers and families.
Quick Facts
- Tilbury Battery Storage, once built, will store 80 megawatts of power.
- Boralex is building 505 megawatts of energy storage facilities in Ontario.
- The IESO indicated 60 per cent more power is needed by 2050.
- In Spring 2024, Ontario secured nearly 3,000 megawatts of battery storage under the largest battery procurement framework in the nation's history.
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