British Columbia is advancing the province’s first utility-scale battery energy storage project.
BC Hydro revealed this week that the new project, to be situated adjacent to the Vancouver Island Terminal Substation near Duncan, will deliver at least 100 megawatts of “flexible” battery storage capacity.
Energy storage “has become an essential part of building a reliable, flexible electricity system that can meet growing demand while making the most of existing infrastructure,” suggests Justin Rangooni, who serves Energy Storage Canada as chief executive officer.
Demand for electricity “continues to grow throughout British Columbia,” says Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions—no surprise as the Province continues to push electrification on residents via their cars as well as their homes.
“We are making strategic investments to continue to deliver reliable, affordable, and clean power to homes and businesses,” stated Dix.
“B.C.’s first utility-scale battery storage facility will help power the Island and is a key part of BC Hydro’s Powering Growth plan to strengthen our electricity system and support the province’s future growth,” he said.
BC Hydro will soon issue a request for supplier qualifications to identify and pre-qualify experienced companies capable of designing and delivering the project.
“This first project will help ensure we continue delivering reliable electricity to our customers as demand grows across Vancouver Island and throughout British Columbia,” explains Charlotte Mitha, chief executive officer of BC Hydro.
BC Hydro expects to own and operate the grid-scale battery energy storage system.
“As the first utility-scale battery storage project in B.C., it will allow us to use a new technology that can store electricity when it is available and deliver it back to the grid when customers need it most,” says Mitha, calling it “an important step in preparing our system for the future, while making the most of the infrastructure we already have.”
The facility is targeted to be in service by 2030.
Reliable electricity “is essential to our quality of life and our economic future,” according to George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville. “This project will help ensure Vancouver Island has the electricity infrastructure needed to support growing communities and meet increasing demand for clean electricity to power more homes, vehicles and businesses, helping build a more sustainable future for the next generation.”
The Vancouver Island battery project is the first battery storage investment advancing under BC Hydro’s Powering Growth plan, a formal strategy to meet rising electricity demand through conservation, optimization of existing assets, and future investments.