Heather Wright/The Independent

A large battery energy storage project is in the works for the northern part of Brooke-Alvinston.

And the company behind it is the same group which pitched a failed wind project in the municipality earlier this year.

Venfor Strathroy Corp. Director, Stephen Sanguliano, says Sun Valley Power is planning a 400-megawatt project along Churchill Line.

That could store power for up to 360,000 homes. And its almost double the size of the project in the works by RES off Courtright Line near Inwood. The BESS project would hold 240 megawatts of energy if RES wins a contract this winter.

It’s also nearly double the size of Ontario’s largest BESS project, the Oneida Energy Storage facility in Jarvis.

The Independent Electricity Supply Operator is looking for a total of 600 megawatts of “capacity” which would include the battery storage units. 

There are few details about Venfor/Sun Valley’s plans. In a pre-engagement confirmation notice, the company says it wants to construct and operate the project in the northern part of the municipality.

A land registry PIN number puts the property on Churchill Line.

The letter says the maximum potential contract capacity is 400 megawatts. 

Saniuliano says the company plans a community engagement session and will appear before council Nov. 13, according to Clerk/Administrator Janet Denkers.

She adds it is up to the company to organize the community engagement to satisfy the IESO’s rules for bidding.

Sun Valley will also have to obtain a letter of support from municipal council.

Mayor Dave Ferguson says he’s interested “to see what their payments are up there on their battery storage, to make sure we’re consistent (with other companies.)”

When Venfor was hoping to place a wind development in the township, Councillor Don McCabe brought up the community investment was “a touch lighter in the payments” when compared to other energy companies who are also competing for contracts.

Ferguson plans to contact his colleagues to “find out what the finances are at the other projects per kilowatt on the storage, and we’ll have some ammunition for our site to discuss with them.”

McCabe, meantime, wondered if the size of project Sun Valley is suggesting would even be possible.

“I want to go back and review the information that was circulated in a previous council package on the project that’s going (on near Inwood.) 

“There should be capacity available on the line to take any storage project. We’ll want to get that verified, and if memory serves, the storage that’s being proposed here is much larger than what any others being proposed.”

The IESO is requiring submissions by mid-December. 

Sun Valley will need to hold public meetings and secure a letter of municipal support likely by the end of November to be in the running for the lucrative provincial energy contracts.