Ontario secures more natural gas, battery storage for electricity supply

Ontario’s electricity system operator says it has secured new power supply from 10 battery storage facilities and three natural gas and biogas facilities, which should meet the province’s needs until the 2030s.

The Independent Electricity System Operator had said Ontario should secure 4,000 more megawatts of capacity in the system — enough to power the city of Toronto — as it faces surging electricity demand.

Combined with a previous round of securing new generation, the IESO says today’s announcement means the province will have enough electricity for the rest of this decade.

The new procurements are for 1,784 megawatts of battery storage projects, which can charge during off-peak hours and inject energy back into the grid when it’s needed, and 411 megawatts of gas and on-farm biogas generation.

The electricity operator has said the amount of new natural gas Ontario needs in the next few years is expected to increase greenhouse-gas emissions by two to four per cent, but that it is needed for now to ensure reliability of the grid.

The new contracts are for 20 years.