What is the benefit of having battery storage on the grid?

Large scale battery storage systems like the Rideau facility benefit the local electrical grid by providing resiliency and flexibility from a non-emitting capacity resource. Moving toward advanced energy generation resources in the region will require balancing resources like the Rideau facility that can quickly adapt to evolving grid conditions over time.

How did you choose the project location for Rideau?

The Plus Power team considered a variety of siting criteria including but not limited to proximity to critical utility infrastructure, land use, topography, and avoidance of sensitive environmental features. The Rideau facility location met the optimal criteria across all of these categories.

What prompted Plus Power to propose Rideau?

Ontario is entering a period of emerging electricity system needs, driven by increasing demand, the retirement of the Pickering nuclear plant, the refurbishment of other nuclear generating units, as well as expiring contracts for existing facilities.  To address this need, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is procuring up to 4,000 MW of dispatchable capacity resources, including energy storage.  The Rideau facility is ideally situated to provide the energy, capacity, and grid services needed for Ontario’s electrical system in response to the IESO’s procurement.

How long will the batteries last? What will happen to them after that? 

The Rideau facility will have a lifespan of at least 20 years. The original battery systems installed at the site are anticipated to operate for at least 15 years. As the original system naturally degrades, Rideau will be augmented with supplemental battery storage units in the future. At the end of the project’s operating life, the facility will remove the battery system and restore the land to pre-existing conditions. Because the battery components contain valuable minerals, the system will be shipped away for recycling and salvage value.

Are there environmental, cultural or archaeological features that could be disturbed on the Rideau project site?  

Following contract award by the IESO in the spring of 2024, Plus Power will initiate a Class Environmental Assessment for Minor Transmission Facilities with the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP), which will assess the environmental impact of the Rideau project, including cultural and archaeological features.

What considerations are being taken to ensure the safety of the project? 

Safety is paramount to Plus Power and the Rideau facility. Several measures are being taken to ensure reliable and safe operation of the system. From a technology perspective, the Rideau facility will utilize best-in-class lithium-ion cells based on battery chemistries similar to those used in cell phones, computers, and electric vehicles, although the battery and system will be held to the National Fire Protection Association 855 national standard and other related grid infrastructure codes and standards. In addition, the system will utilize a variety of thermal management systems as well as remote monitoring strategies in order to maintain system stability. The local Fire Departments will be fully engaged in design discussions through the process of creating a dedicated Emergency Response Plan for the project, and the Plus Power team will ensure there is significant collaboration and training with first responders in order to guarantee proper techniques are used in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Will the Rideau facility impact my views?   

The Rideau facility is ideally situated in an area away from residential areas. As such, the impact to local views will be very limited.