New battery storage project proposed on land north of Clinton
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
A new battery storage project, similar to the one floated near Seaforth about two years ago, is being proposed just north of Clinton, with a planned operational date in 2028 if a number of approvals are met along the way.
A modest open house for the project was held on Tuesday night at the Libro Hall in the Central Huron Community Complex with a small crowd attending. No formal presentation went ahead, but several Ferma Energy employees were on hand to answer questions to the best of their ability.
The approximate footprint of the project is between 10 and 15 acres, according to the meeting notice, while, at the meeting, employees said that the actual footprint of the storage containers is expected to be about five acres. The proposed location is on Hydro Line Road, just west of Wildlife Line, directly across from the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area and just east on Hydro Line Road of the Clinton Cemetery. The property’s official planning designation is Lot 22, Concession 2 Hullett and Part Lot 21 Concession 2 Hullett. Employees at the meeting said that the company has negotiated a lease for the land with the landowner.
The official name for the project, under Ferma Energy’s umbrella, is the Heron Storage project with a capacity of 40 megawatts, an eight-hour capacity and 320 megawatt hours. The shipping containers that will hold the batteries will be eight feet by eight feet by 20 feet.
Employees told those in attendance that the company hopes to submit an application to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), a provincial government agency, in December of this year, with contracts to be awarded the following June.
If the contract is awarded for the local project, between 12 and 18 months will be allotted for studies, permitting and zoning amendments. During this same time period, from 2026 to 2027, a contractor will be selected, major material and equipment will be procured and the planning process will continue, followed by construction from 2027 to 2028 and, finally, operation in 2028 with a 20-year life. During that time there will be limited on-site personnel and off-site monitoring, ahead of eventual decommissioning and site restoration.
All of these steps, however, will be dependent on, among other things, approval from the local council, in this case, Central Huron Council. This provision has been implemented by the provincial government to ensure local control over such energy projects. This was also the case in Seaforth recently, where council did not look upon that project favorably after a contentious public meeting at the Seaforth Agriplex.
Councillors Alison Lobb and Jennifer Cox, in addition to Mayor Jim Ginn and Deputy-Mayor Marg Anderson were in attendance on Tuesday, with some saying they had received e-mailed invitations to the event.
As questions came from those in attendance, employees said that this was simply the beginning of a long public engagement process that would include not just council, but emergency services professionals, members of the public and more.
They said there would be some jobs created through the construction process and perhaps a handful of long-term jobs at the site, if and when it’s completed.
Several questions were raised about the decision to propose this project on prime agricultural land. Employees said that provisions have been put in place to look more favorably on projects that don’t take agricultural land out of production, however, it would still be permitted, though not necessarily approved by the IESO during its next intake period.
A number of more detailed questions around the actual site design, a safety plan and where exactly on the property the project would be located went unanswered, as employees said it was still very early in the process and that many details still needed to be hashed out.
Further information on the project can be found online at fermaenergy.com/heron-storage or by e-mailing the company at [email protected].