Blake Ellis/The Independent

Enniskillen Township’s voices against the Inwood Energy Storage Project were heard.

After nine delegations all opposed to the battery storage project, in a room full of residents against the project and even a small picket in front of the municipal office Enniskillen Township council voted unanimously not to support to the Courtright Line project.

After the vote, Councillor Tim Williams gave a warning to those who were opposed to this project. One of the main reason council considered the project, he said, was for the income it would bring to the municipality, said Williams

“It’s like farming, everything is twice as much as it was three years ago,” said Williams, pointing to the Black Creek Bridge on Marthaville Road. While the township might have been looking at $500,000 in the past to repair that bridge, it is now in need of $2 million.

That cost, Williams said, is coupled with another $1.4 million needed for a fire truck for the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department.

“So the reserves disappear really fast,” said Williams.

“So just keep that in mind if you want to keep this solely agricultural and keep this way of living on our land. It is going to come with a price.”

Deputy Mayor Judy Krall also shared that she participated in the Nov. 17 council meeting by zoom because she was on a family vacation in California. While on vacation, she reached out to those in Moss Landing, California where there was a fire at a 300 megawatt battery storage facility on January 16. This incident prompted the evacuation of 1,200 residents and the temporary closures of local schools evacuations. A lawsuit has also been filed by local residents about the environmental and health impacts from the fire.

Krall read an email she received from Monterey County Superintendent Glenn Church who warned that he would guard against putting these battery storage facilities near residences, businesses, agriculture or environmentally sensitive areas.

Krall also talked with a family that was affected by the Moss Landing fire.
They have since returned to their home but they are having health issues including nose bleeds and headaches but there isn’t enough research to determine whether their health concerns are linked to the fire.

Only three members of council participated in the final vote. Mayor Kevin Marriott declared a conflict of interest, citing that he owned land within the catchment area of the proposed Inwood energy storage facility.

Councillor Chad Burke has also been granted a leave of absence from council and was not present.
Residents cited their many concerns during the meeting including the affects the proposed facility will have on the environment, the danger of fire, the use of prime agricultural land that will be taken out of production, their worry about lower property values, as well as the noise and light pollution which will exist if the facility is built.

Resident Mary Brown summed it up about many of the resident’s concerns by saying council is in a “high-stakes game,” as they decide on whether to support this project.

Resident Rachel Hunter also presented a petition of 155 names along with an additional 20 signatures calling for council to turn down the proposal.

“If I wanted to live next to a power plant, a factory, a refinery or any industry at all, I would live in St. Clair Township,” said Dennis Meston, adding he chose to live in Enniskillen Township and he doesn’t even want a store to located beside his property.

Through his research, Meston has found the majority of Ontario municipalities have not supported battery storage facilities, while most of the places where BESS facilities have been supported appear to be in industrial areas.

Meston says any money received by the township will not be worth the negative affects that the project will have on the community.

This is the third time a battery storage facility as been proposed in Enniskillen with council turning down proposals near Oil City, Inwood and a third on Churchill Line being shelved by the developer.