The Canadian independent electricity system operator (IESO) has selected renewable energy company Ameresco and its partner Atura Power to build a 250MW/1,000 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) in Ontario province.
Ameresco and Atura Power, an Ontario Power Generation affiliate, will build the project as a joint venture (JV) under the name Napanee BESS. The BESS project will be built next to Atura Power’s Napanee generating station and Ontario Power Generation’s Lennox generating station in the town of Greater Napanee.
The project will provide electricity for up to four hours. Ameresco will provide its experience in the installation of the battery storage system together with engineering and construction services. It will hold a 10.1 per cent stake in the JV. The BESS project will solve the province’s anticipated shortfall in energy supply, improve the resilience of Ontario’s electricity grid, and increase the efficiency and affordability of power generation. The deal expands on the massive utility-scale BESS projects that Ameresco has previously completed. The two companies intend to continue looking for BESS prospects around the province.
In April 2023, Ameresco and Sunel Group joined forces to compete on 1.5 GWp of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the UK and Europe. The projects, which span Greece, Italy, Spain, Romania, and the UK, are currently in the bidding stage and are expected to have contract values that exceed $500 million. The BESS facilities would also provide grid stabilisation services to increase the grid’s resilience while the PV projects will produce clean energy.
