Canada’s clean electricity buildout will need more than new generation. It will also need storage that can help keep power reliable when demand rises and renewable output fluctuates.
Invinity Energy Systems has announced a strategic collaboration with the First Nations Utility Batteries Partnership to advance long-duration battery energy storage projects across Canada.
Under a newly signed Joint Proposal Development Agreement, Invinity and FNUBP will work together to identify, develop, and advance battery energy storage system projects that support grid reliability, renewable energy integration, and long-term decarbonization.
The agreement brings together Invinity’s Canadian-manufactured vanadium flow battery technology with FNUBP’s Indigenous-led project development model. FNUBP is an Indigenous-led and Indigenous-owned development corporation focused on delivering battery energy storage projects while creating long-term economic benefits for First Nations and their communities.
FNUBP will act as lead developer for proposed projects, managing commercial, regulatory, siting, and financing activities. Invinity has been selected as the long-duration energy storage technology provider, supplying systems based on its Endurium vanadium flow battery platform.
The partnership comes as utilities across the country look for firm, dispatchable capacity to support growing electricity demand, integrate more renewable power, and reduce reliance on fossil fuel generation.
The collaboration includes recent participation in PEI Energy Corporation’s request for expressions of interest for battery energy storage systems and New Brunswick Power’s request for expressions of interest, as well as potential BC Hydro capacity procurement initiatives expected to follow its Capacity RFEOI.
Invinity and FNUBP said the agreement is expected to support a portfolio of long-duration storage projects across multiple sites, with a particular focus on British Columbia while also exploring opportunities in other provinces and future procurement programs across Canada.
“Engaging FNUBP’s development expertise to deploy Invinity’s made-in-BC long-duration batteries will accelerate the delivery of robust, reliable low-carbon infrastructure,” said Matt Harper, President of Invinity Energy Systems.
Harper said the partnership demonstrates how governments, industry, and First Nations can work together to meet Canada’s future electricity capacity needs.
Vanadium flow batteries are positioned as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for long-duration applications where energy needs to be stored and dispatched over extended periods. Invinity says its systems are designed for utility-scale use, long operating lives, high cycle life, durability, and safety.
Those attributes are becoming increasingly important as provinces plan for more renewable generation and utilities seek capacity resources that can complement intermittent wind and solar power.
“BC Hydro’s Capacity RFEOI highlights the growing importance of long-duration storage as part of the province’s future electricity system,” said Mike Wise, Partner at FNUBP. “Working with Invinity allows FNUBP to pair Indigenous-led project development with world-class, proven long-duration storage technology, positioning our projects to support system reliability while creating meaningful, long-term value for First Nations and their communities.”
The agreement also highlights a growing theme in Canada’s energy transition: Indigenous participation not only as stakeholders, but as project developers and owners.
FNUBP was established to initiate, develop, construct, and ultimately own battery energy storage facilities. Its partnership with Invinity is designed to support resilient, low-carbon infrastructure while advancing Indigenous leadership, participation, and long-term economic outcomes.
For Canada’s clean energy sector, the collaboration points to the role long-duration storage could play in the next phase of grid modernization.
As electricity demand rises and renewable power becomes a larger part of provincial energy systems, storage will be increasingly important to helping utilities balance supply and demand, defer infrastructure pressure, and deliver clean power when it is needed most.