Battery storage projects in Plympton-Wyoming shelved, too

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The red marker is 4703 Churchill Line. It was the proposed site of a battery storage site in Enniskillen Township.

At least one other battery storage project which was in the planning stages in Plympton-Wyoming has been shelved because Hydro One can’t accommodate it on the power lines on Churchill Line.

Last week, Compass Energy went to an Enniskillen council meeting expecting to talk about a project which would place a lithium ion battery storage area just outside of Wyoming.

Instead, the company announced the project could not move ahead.
“The IESO released the results from its Deliverability Test process, where proposed projects were modelled on the electricity grid in collaboration with transmitters and local distribution companies – Hydro One. The Enniskillen BESS project connection options were determined to be “Not Deliverable” which means the project is no longer eligible to participate in the IESO’s Long Term 1 (LT1) Request for Proposals. All development activities for Enniskillen BESS have been suspended,” wrote Compass in a notice to the media.

While the project was based in Enniskillen, Plympton-Wyoming was watching the development closely because the Wyoming fire department would have been the first responders to the energy storage site.

Plympton-Wyoming CAO, Adam Sobanski, told council Sept. 15, while the town was watching the Enniskillen development closely, it was also working with two other companies planning storage projects along Churchill Line.

Plympton-Wyoming Councillor Bob Woolvett brought concerns of residents about the Enniskillen energy project to the Sept. 15 council meeting.

“These individuals that approached me had some big concerns about any battery plant being that close to certainly the Village of Wyoming,” he said.

“Staff is aware of three companies which are looking to potentially apply to construct electrical storage facilities. They are all along Churchill Line because of the location of the high powered lines. One of the proposals is in Enniskillen Township. The other two are in Plympton-Wyoming,” said Sobanski.

In an email to The Independent, Sobanski said one of the two potential Plympton-Wyoming projects – by Invenergy – has also been cancelled after the Hydro One assessment.

“The town was also been approached by Invenergy but they have withdrawn as well.  Town staff also had a brief phone discussion with a third company, but no formal documents were provided, and no further communication has occurred,”

Sobanski told The Independent in an email. “I would presume they are all facing the same issues as Compass as they were all proposing to connect to the same transmission lines.”