Council discusses becoming ‘unwilling host’ to energy storage or production projects
BROCKTON - The May 21 meeting agenda included a report on the Alectra battery storage proposal. Mayor Chris Peabody reiterated his frustration with the way the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) conducted the selection process for battery storage facilities in this region.
Said Peabody, “My concern is there are going to be a lot of wind and solar (projects) coming forward … I think we should consider a motion to declare ourselves an unwilling host for those. The way IESO approached this [battery storage project selection] was so utterly disorganized, and a complete lack of knowledge of the planning process.”
Deputy Mayor James Lang, who chaired a public meeting on a proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) near Cargill, commended staff – “Sonya, Trish and Fiona (CAO Sonya Watson, CFO Trish Serratory, and clerk Fiona Hamilton) who did their best to get the right information” to some very concerned, and in some cases, quite irate, community residents. He said he completely supported Peabody, and told him, “We have to look at the big picture … you’re absolutely right.”
“It was a complete waste of our time,” said Peabody, who has noted in previous interviews the amount of staff and council time and resources required to arrange meetings and advise on the planning process, as well provide as much information to the public as possible. He has also commented that had he known the limited chance of a project being accepted, he would not have supported the one in Cargill, which he did, initially.
“I agree … we should be an unwilling host,” said Coun. Kym Hutcheon.
Coun. Tim Elphick also spoke of the commendable way staff worked to co-ordinate facilities, Zoom calls and more. “It would be a good case study” on how well staff worked together to accommodate the people of the community.”
Lang further commented, “This council … voted to get more information, and this is where we’ve ended up.”
Watson asked if the motion would be for wind and solar only, noting that Alectra, the company that made the Cargill battery storage facility proposal, still has leased land in the area. She commented that the selection process was quite hard on the company, too.
Peabody was adamant that considering “the way IESO did it, with hundreds of applicants and a very low percentage (of successful applications), it wasted our time, wasted our resources, and I don’t want anything to do with IESO in any way, shape or form.”
Hamilton confirmed that the conversation could be taken as notice of motion, to be brought forward at the next meeting.
Pauline Kerr, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Walkerton Herald Times
