IESO Announces Largest Canadian Energy Storage Procurement
May 18, 2023
This week, the IESO announced it is moving forward with the procurement of seven new energy storage projects to provide 739 MW of capacity.
The IESO is offering contracts to seven battery storage facilities located throughout the province, varying in size from 5 MW to 300 MW. These facilities will serve to meet both province-wide and local needs in a number of key locations. The majority of these selected proposals have partnered with Indigenous communities, with five of the seven having at least 50 per cent economic interest from these communities.
The IESO is also leveraging natural gas generation by securing 586 MW from expansions and upgrades at existing sites. Natural gas currently plays a pivotal role in supporting grid reliability – with the ability to respond to changing system needs in ways other forms of supply can’t.
In addition, a new agreement has been finalized for Brighton Beach Generating Station to continue operations to 2034 and provide incremental capacity through an efficiency upgrade.
For more information, please see the IESO’s most recent Resource Adequacy Update.