The Ontario government is pushing ahead with plans to build a new battery storage project in southwestern Ontario.

A battery storage facility stores energy from renewable sources, like solar and wind farms, and releases it when power is needed.

Once built, the Tilbury Battery Storage Project will store 80 megawatts of power – enough energy to power 80,000 homes.

In May of last year, Quebec-based company Boralex announced that the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) had approved two of its proposed battery storage facility projects.

With construction set to begin later this year, Boralex will work with Walpole Island First Nation to build the facility. The project is expected to create 150 jobs.

“Battery storage is a critical component to support the responsible expansion of Ontario’s clean and reliable grid that will provide affordable energy to Ontario families and businesses,” said Energy Minister Stephen Lecce.

The government launched the largest battery procurement framework in Canadian history earlier this year, which saw nearly three thousand megawatts of storage capabilities secured to expand Ontario’s clean, reliable, and affordable energy grid.

The Tilbury project is projected to be completed in late 2025.

The IESO has indicated that the Ontario will need at least 60 percent more energy in the next 25 years.

Battery storage facilities can help by storing generated clean power and deploying it when needed.

“This project, alongside our other battery storage initiatives, solidifies Boralex’s leadership in utility-scale energy storage,” said Adam Rosso, Boralex Senior Vice President of Development in North America.

Boralex is building 505 megawatts of energy storage facilities in Ontario.