The IESO is offering contracts to seven battery storage facilities located throughout the province, varying in size from 5 MW to 300. “Today's announcement of the largest energy storage procurement ever in Canada, positions Ontario as a leader in integrating. The IESO is also leveraging natural gas generation by securing 586 MW from expansions and upgrades at existing sites. Natural gas currently plays a pivotal role in supporting grid reliability – with the ability to respond to changing system needs in ways other forms of.
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TORONTO – The Ontario government has concluded the largest battery storage procurement in Canada's history and secured the necessary electricity generation to support the province's growing population and economy through the end of the decade.
The almost 1,800 megawatts of BESS projects make up an energy procurement round from IESO that totals 2,195 megawatts of capacity, including 411 megawatts of natural gas and on-farm biogas generation. The Ontario government claims the deals make up the largest battery storage procurement in Canadian history.
What is Ontario's electricity procurement plan?
The procurement is designed to help Ontario meet electricity demand growth through to the end of this decade and put it on a pathway to cope with a projected 60% increase in demand over the next 25 years.
A 2020 report commissioned by Energy Storage Canada, Unlocking Potential: An Economic Valuation of Energy Storage in Ontario, found that 1000 MW of energy storage in Ontario could provide as much as $2.7 billion in savings for Ontario electricity customers.
The announcement is part of the province's ongoing procurement for 2500 MW of energy storage to support the decarbonization and electrification of Ontario's grid, which was originally announced in October, 2022.
For further information visit: 16 May 2023 Today the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) announced seven new energy storage projects in Ontario for a total of 739 MW of capacity.