The largest lithium-battery storage facility in Canada, the Oneida Energy Storage Project, has received the go ahead from the Government of Ontario. The announcement was made on Friday at the Gathering Place on Six Nations territory.
All the partners of the project including, Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC), NRStar, Northland Power and the Aecon Group, were present. Six Nations Elected Chief Mark Hill, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland and others attended.
“I am thrilled that we are here, seeing the efforts of this long-awaited project come together for the betterment of our people and our environment,” Dev Corp President and CEO Matt Jamieson said.
Elected Chief Mark Hill spoke about the prospective benefits to the community and environment.
“We are pleased to see this project move ahead with the support of the Ontario government. Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation’s involvement in The Oneida Energy Storage Project signals the importance of Indigenous participation in clean energy initiatives as we continue to combat climate change," he said.
The 250-megawatt facility will support Ontario’s clean energy electricity grid by drawing and storing electricity when demand for electricity is low and then returning that power to the system during high electricity demand times. The project is slated to begin in 2025, and aims to provide enough energy to meet the peak demand for a city with about 400,000 people and to double Ontario’s clean energy grid.
The Oneida Energy Storage Project will be located in Jarvis, Ontario and, according to the project's partners, will help Canada with its ongoing goal to be a net-zero economy by 2050 and a 100-percent net zero-emitting electricity system by 2035.
The project will have many construction elements that the partners say will provide employment opportunities and be undertaken, in part, by Six Nations A6N Utilities.
Freeland spoke about the potential when governments collaborate on initiatives like the Oneida Energy Project.
“When our two governments work together, in partnership with Indigenous communities, we can help to build a stronger economy and a more sustainable province,” Freeland said.
Ford added that he was "thrilled" by the partnership.
“I’m thrilled to see so many great partners come together to build this world-class project that will provide affordable, clean energy for generations to come,” the premier said.
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