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Canada Standard
12-06-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
Update: Ottawa City Council Backs Rural West Battery Project on 20-3 Vote
A proposed 250-megawatt battery storage installation in Ottawa's rural west won a resounding vote of confidence Wednesday as Ottawa City Council approved a municipal support resolution (MSR) for the project on a 20-3 vote. Just six days earlier, the city's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) had unanimously rejected the Marchurst Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). But after that vote, The Energy Mix reported exclusively that project supporters expected a closer margin at council-with the possibility that at least two ARAC members would change their votes. In the end, that's exactly what happened, with only ward councillor Clarke Kelly (West Carleton-March), ARAC Chair David Brown (Rideau-Jock), and councillor Wilson Lo (Barrhaven East) voting against, CTV reports. "Energy is the new gold," said councillor Cathy Curry (Kanata North), who moved the motion in favour of the MSR. Curry cited the city's light rail expansion, acquisition of electric buses, and moves to electrify its own vehicle fleet as factors driving up local demand for electricity. The motion stressed that an MSR is "not a planning approval, and if approved would not commit Council to any future land use decisions with respect to the facility," CTV writes. In a statement, Gatineau, Quebec-based Evolugen, the subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management that proposed the project, called the MSR approval "a significant milestone for the project" and acknowledged the "thoughtful engagement and consideration demonstrated by council and staff throughout this process." View our latest digests Evolugen already had a contract from Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator to build the project on a 4.5-hectare site, about 30 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa, conditional on an MSR from the city. After the vote, the company pledged to "continue working closely with city staff, local residents, the public at large, and other stakeholders to ensure transparency and collaboration as the project moves forward." On Wednesday, Kelly said the voices of Ottawa's rural residents were being ignored, CTV writes. "The community most impacted by this installation has reached out in overwhelming numbers to demonstrate they remain uncomfortable with what is being proposed and where it is being proposed," he said. "If West Carleton was its own municipality, this project would not get an MSR for this location." But at least two ARAC members with large numbers of rural constituents changed their votes at council, after initially opposing the municipal support resolution in committee. At the 10-hour ARAC meeting last Thursday, councillors heard 68 public delegations before denying official backing for the project, CBC reported. But while the ARAC vote "was unanimous at face value," some committee members were "very conflicted", a committee observer told The Mix , with one councillor comparing the introduction of battery storage to the arrival of the motor car in a horse and buggy community. "I believe that BESS is a good technology, and this, on its merits, may actually be a good project," said Councillor Matthew Luloff (Orleans East-Cumberland), according to a segment of an unofficial meeting transcript viewed by The Energy Mix . While Luloff said his committee vote was meant to respect Kelly's wishes, as a vehemently opponent of the project in his ward, "I reserve the right to make my own decision at Council, where this matter will come forward again for further discussion." Luloff added: "I will be taking the lessons I learned here today at that vote. Let this also be a lesson on consultation, it is not a box to be checked but a fundamental part of decision-making. Community education is incredibly important, and we must continue to do better... in how we inform." After the ARAC vote, Angela Keller-Herzog, executive director of Community Action for Environmental Sustainability (CAFES), said the community adjacent to the Marchurst site "needs to come together" in order to negotiate with Evolugen for local benefits from the project. But at the moment, "avowed opponents... distrust information offered up by the project proponent company," she wrote in an email. "The anti-BESS group is talking about 'raising pitchforks' and the local Facebook group ejects anyone who has positive things to say about the project." [Disclosure: CAFES is a partner of the Green Resilience Project , a joint community listening effort hosted by Energy Mix Productions and the Basic Income Canada Network.] The Energy Mix could not verify the content of the private West Carleton BESS Facebook group. Courtney Argue, a leading project opponent who lives about 400 metres from the site, said "it really depends" how visitors are treated when they join the group. "People get deleted if they are being disruptive or we have a suspicion that they have ties to Evolugen or their potential or confirmed partners," she told The Mix in an email. "You try your best. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong." As for the comment about pitchforks, "we hold our pitchforks in our hearts when it comes to protecting our land, wildlife, and way of life," Argue wrote. "Rural folk are not violent folk. We handle things together. We show up in the masses at town halls, we help neighbours. In this fight, we cannot leave any stone unturned." While the group is meeting neighbours who support sustainable energy solutions-Argue said she'd "love to add solar to our farm to help sustain our operations"-she maintained that most of the people she's heard from oppose the BESS project. Keller-Herzog said the local community newspaper, West Carleton Online, which has covered the issue extensively over the last two years, recently estimated that "the community was pretty evenly split but that the anti-BESS voices consistently tried to present a picture as everybody against." In spite of the furor and the "significant coverage" it has received, "there is probably a majority of busy working families that are not tuned in to the local news and have no engagement on the issue," she said. "The real problem? Our community lacks a calm and credible space to talk things through," Keller-Herzog wrote in a mid-May opinion piece for West Carleton Online. "Many thoughtful West Carleton residents, who might offer balance or ask good questions, have simply gone silent, understandably reluctant to wade into a conversation that has become conflictive and dominated by a few loud voices." Prior to Wednesday's vote, she said Evolugen "now appears hesitant to engage further, perhaps understandably, given how strident the misinformation has become." Yet there are "other BESS conversations that affirm of course residents and businesses in Ottawa want the lights to stay on, want the grid to be stable, want power to be affordable, want the jobs, investment, taxes paid and local community benefits from a safe, non-polluting energy infrastructure solution." In an email Tuesday morning, Evolugen's Canadian head of development, Geoff Wright, told The Mix the company is "eager to move to the next phase of the development approvals process and submit our application for a fair and robust technical evaluation by city and provincial staff. We believe that review by independent, qualified experts will provide the comfort that residents are looking for, while taking into account the benefits that this infrastructure provides for the city, region and province. Source: The Energy Mix
CBC
11-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Contentious rural Ottawa battery facility gets nod from council
City council has thrown its support behind a contentious battery facility in rural west Ottawa, after rural councillors rebuffed the same appeal last week. At a Wednesday meeting, councillors voted overwhelmingly to support the proposal from Evolugen, a renewable energy company based in Gatineau, Que. The company is seeking to build a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on a 4.5-hectare plot of rural land off Marchurst Road, about 30 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. "My residents now see that we are kind of the guinea pigs," said West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly, whose ward will be home to the project. "[Rural property] is where we're going to put these projects to bolster regional economic development — and I think that's where you'll see some resentments from rural residents." But councillors who spoke in favour of the project cited the rapidly growing energy needs of Ottawa residents and businesses, as well as the potential for the technology to help wean the city off fossil fuels. Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry said the project plays a crucial role in everything from fighting climate change to stimulating economic development. "Energy is the new gold," she said. 'Significant milestone,' company says BESS facilities are large batteries, housed in containers, that store energy generated at off-peak hours to be used when demand is higher. They are useful for storing renewable energy, as they allow customers to access power that's been generated by wind turbines and solar panels, even when winds aren't blowing or the sun isn't shining. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), a Crown corporation responsible for managing Ontario's energy market, had already granted Evolugen a contract to build the facility. But the company, which is equal partners with the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation on the project, needed the official blessing of council to move forward. In a written statement, Evolugen called Wednesday's vote "a significant milestone." "The company is grateful for the thoughtful engagement and consideration demonstrated by council and staff throughout this process," the statement read. The company declined an interview request, even though a group of representatives was present at the meeting. Evolugen must still go through "comprehensive technical studies," according to the city, including a detailed site plan and assessments for noise, safety and environmental impact. Fire chief reassures residents Councillors discussed the issue before a gallery that featured a small contingent of opponents wearing matching t-shirts that read "Stop Marchurst BESS." "We will rally," said Courtney Argue, one of the dissenters, after the decision. "It's proving over and over again that rural voices aren't heard." The company was on its second attempt at pitching the project to neighbouring residents, who showed up in large numbers to a rural affairs meeting last week. Of the more than 60 people who spoke at the nearly 10-hour meeting, most voiced staunch opposition to the project. The loss of farmland and the risk of fire or well water contamination were the most common concerns. More than 1,400 people signed a hand-written petition against the project. But Ottawa Fire Services Chief Paul Hutt said his team will consider Evolugen's detailed proposal when it comes and develop emergency plans for safety and fire suppression. "In the event that there is an incident, we're going to have it all pre-planned before that time," he said. Curry also struck a reassuring tone. "The consultation will now begin," she said. "There is a lot more to come on this. This is the beginning, not the end." The final vote was 20-3 in favour of the project. Along with Kelly, Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo and Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown also voted against it.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Rural councillors deny support for battery facility, as company seeks 'clear political signal'
Rural councillors rejected a second attempt by Gatineau-based company Evolugen to win support for a large battery facility in rural west Ottawa, after 68 people weighed in over the course of a nearly 10-hour meeting Thursday. Members of the city's agriculture and rural affairs committee voted unanimously to deny the company official backing for the project, though city council will have the final say next week. The company has already won a contract to build the facility from the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), a Crown corporation responsible for managing Ontario's energy market. Now, it needs a statement of support from Ottawa councillors. West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly, whose ward would be home to the new facility, said he heard a clear message from residents. "I feel like it's overwhelmingly against the project," he said in an interview. "I think even more specifically — against the project proposed in the location where it has been proposed." That location is an approximately 4.5-hectare plot of rural land off Marchurst Road — roughly the area of eight Canadian football fields — located about 30 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. Evolugen, a Gatineau-based renewable energy company owned by Brookfield Renewable, is seeking to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) at the site. BESS facilities are large batteries housed in containers that store renewable energy and feed it back into the grid at off-peak hours. The process to receive city council support for projects has proven difficult, though not impossible, with an Evolugen BESS in Coun. David Brown's ward garnering the unanimous backing in late 2023. The technology is a key part of the Ford government's plan to solve a looming energy supply crunch, as demand in the province is expected to increase by 75 per cent by 2050. But for many residents, the location of this particular battery trumped any broader provincial picture. 'Devil's bargain' Across the dozens of people who spoke at the meeting, views were mixed. Speakers representing business interests in the Kanata North tech park said companies there have "extreme needs" for power, and a local family-run construction company said building the facility would create good jobs. Members of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, which is partnered with Evolugen on the project, called on the city to support Indigenous-led investment. But most speakers were vehemently opposed. A petition against the project garnered more than 1,400 hand-written signatures. Loss of farmland and the risk of fire or well water contamination were the most common concerns. Courtney Argue, one of a large contingent donning matching t-shirts that read "Stop Marchurst BESS," lives about 400 metres from the proposed site. "We are David vs. Goliath here. We have been stripped of our voices to fight this," Argue said, breaking into tears. "We need you [councillors] to be loud and courageous to reject this [motion]. Our lives and our lands are depending on it." Another speaker, Brian Martin, said he and other residents aren't afraid of the technology but are opposed to building on what he considers to be an ecologically sensitive location. "This is the devil's bargain," he said. "They get all the gold, we get all the risks." Company seeks 'clear political signal' Evolugen is taking a second crack at winning support in the area. The company previously tried to sell residents on a similar project that would have been built south of Fitzroy Harbor, about 13 kilometres away from the current site. That project also faced intense community backlash, and the company later said its attempt at garnering support had not gone well. The new site, according to the company, has fewer trees and does not encroach on wetlands. Crucially, it sits on a connection to the grid. And this time around, Evolugen said it has redoubled efforts to win over locals. "We've knocked on, I would say, almost every single door within two kilometres of the site," said Geoff Wright, senior vice-president of the company. "We've had a number of conversations with people at their door. We've sat at peoples' kitchen tables." Wright is now asking the city to endorse the project and send a "clear political signal" of interest. Pressure from province The renewed bid for support comes shortly after Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce sent a letter to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe warning that slowing down BESS projects endangers growth. The letter asked the city to "promptly review and approve" the projects, specifically singling out the South March BESS. On May 25, the mayor's office received a letter from Evolugen seeking support, just days before a walk-on motion to council waived procedure and drastically accelerated the approval process. Kelly pressed Wright on that timeline in a tense exchange during the meeting. "Cutting that process short left my community in a difficult spot to prepare for today," he said in an interview. "The message to my residents — so far in this process — is that provincial policies and the whims of provincial ministers and the IESO are more important than my residents' voices." The committee unanimously approved a motion by Kelly asking city staff to request that Evolugen pays at least $250,000 per year into a community development fund for at least 20 years, should the project go ahead. The issue goes to city council on June 11.
