City of Ottawa eyes land rules for building battery energy storage systems

A city committee has voted in favour of new rules for building battery energy storage systems. CTV’s Peter Szperling has the details.

The City of Ottawa’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee has voted to approve changes to the city’s Official Plan that would set out the land use policy direction for building battery energy storage systems in Ottawa, including establishing a maximum size limit. Staff also recommended changes to the Site Plan Control Bylaw which will help to expedite battery storage projects.

“For the larger projects, it actually provides process to provide more information to the community for us to assess what are some of the proper siting and sizing requirements,” said Royce Fu, the City of Ottawa’s manager of policy planning.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) gather unused electricity during low-usage times and distribute it during peak times each day to supplement the power grid. A report prepared for committee says Ontario expects a significant increase in demand for electricity over the next 25 years.

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) issued a call for proposals in 2023, citing the needs to balance the province’s power supply as the demand grows. City Council directed staff to include battery energy storage facilities in the municipal development review and approvals processes.

According to the report, Hydro Ottawa considers battery storage an important part of its energy future and said such sites should be encouraged where appropriate.

Residents in rural wards have expressed concerns about building battery storage facilities near their homes, particularly in the event of a fire. The report says there is no provincial guidance on recommended setbacks – that is, the distance between a property line and a building – but staff recommend following Hydro One’s Fire Protection Risk & Response Assessment Standard when it comes to setbacks from things like homes, daycares, places of worship, parks or other sensitive lands. These setbacks range from 60 to 300 metres, according to Hydro One. Staff also recommend a minimum distance of 10 metres from the edge of any forested areas.

Staff say the risk of groundwater contamination from firefighting runoff during a fire at a battery storage facility is minimal, but processes are in place in the event of contaminated liquids reaching the soil. Ottawa Fire Services will also monitor air quality throughout a fire, should one occur.

“Ongoing air monitoring and groundwater testing will be required as a condition of the site plan approval process to ensure comprehensive environmental protection after the event,” the report states.

Approved at committee Thursday, guidelines that require proponents demonstrate to Ottawa Fire Services’ satisfaction that effective fire and safety risk management is applied in the design of each facility. Proponents will also be required to install fire prevention and suppression systems, and must provide Ottawa Fire Services with site-specific training.

“We landed somewhere in between those who don’t want to see them, and those who do want to see them,” said West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly.

“I think what we’re doing today is we’re setting ourselves up for success in this city going forward,” added Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown. “What we want to make sure though, is we protect all of our rural villages and our communities, or sensitive lands and our agricultural land.”

A motion by Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts was also approved at committee to limit the size of accessory use BESS projects to 20 per cent of the lot size or one hectare, whichever is lesser. Her motion also requires that ward councillors are informed of principal use projects at the earliest possible stage in the planning and development process.

According to the report, accessory use is defined as a BESS that stores electricity from the distribution grid and may discharge to one or more uses on the same lot and may also discharge back to the distribution grid during periods of high electricity demand. Accessory BESS may also be associated with a renewable energy generation facility. A principal use BESS is one that stores electricity from the transmission or distribution grid during periods where supply exceeds demand, and solely discharges back to the transmission or distribution grid.

The IESO awarded contracts to two BESS projects in rural Ottawa last May. One project would be near Highway 416 at 4186 William McEwen Dr., west of Manotick, and the other would be in the area of Homesteaders Road and Galetta Side Road near Fitzroy Harbour. Council has granted a municipal support resolution to the William McEwen project but has yet to grant one to the Fitzroy project. The latter has until Feb. 6, 2026 to obtain one. Gatineau-based Evolugen is the company behind both projects.

The Planning and Housing Committee will consider this report on Feb. 5 before it rises to Council on Feb. 12.

The report says matters specific to the two proposed BESS projects in Ottawa will be brought forward through separate reports to Council.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling