NORTHUMBERLAND-The Ontario government announced the successful completion and start of commercial operations of the Napanee Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), on-budget and approximately five weeks ahead of schedule.
The 250-megawatt (MW) 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 (IESO) Expedited Long-Term 1 (ELT-1) competitive procurement, which was launched by the government in 2022, and supported the single largest battery procurement in Canadian history.
“Ontario is building the infrastructure needed to power growth, protect jobs, and keep energy reliable and affordable for families,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines. “The completion of the Napanee Battery Energy Storage System is a major step forward in strengthening our clean electricity grid and securing eastern Ontario’s energy future. This project will help power up to 250,000 homes in eastern Ontario during peak demand, support three highly-skilled jobs and reinforce our plan to build a more competitive, resilient and self-reliant province.”
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. The project leveraged the province’s made-in-Ontario supply chain through 72 medium voltage transformers, built at Stein Industries in London, Ontario that were purchased via Nbisiing Power, an Indigenous-owned business operating in Nipissing First Nation.
“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.”
The government says development and construction of the Napanee BESS supported 120 jobs, including skilled trades, engineering, transportation, and equipment manufacturing roles. The completed facility has created new good-paying jobs and is supporting three existing positions, bringing long-term operations, maintenance and technical employment opportunities to the region.
This achievement follows the successful completion of the Darlington refurbishment project. The Darlington refurbishment alone is expected to add $90 billion in economic benefits and supports 14,200 good-paying jobs across the province. As Ontario expands, its nuclear and hydro expansion will play an important role in driving efficient storage technology.
