West-end residents unhappy as battery energy storage facility gets council support

A sign at the corner of Marchurst Road and March Road, opposing the proposed South March Battery Energy Storage System project. June 12, 2025. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)

Residents in the Dunrobin area are not happy after Ottawa city council confirmed it support for a battery energy storage system (BESS) in the community.

Gatineau-based energy company Evolugen says the site will be located at 2555 Marchurst Rd. and 2625 Marchurst Rd., and will be roughly 200 acres in size, with the batteries taking up roughly 11 acres of that.

The batteries will store energy during off-peak hours, which will be used when demand is high.

“We moved here because we wanted to have a nicer home for our family,” Marchurst Road resident Jade Charlebois told CTV News Ottawa.

“We have two kids now and the thought of just having the battery plant so close by is just a little unnerving.”

“I don’t agree with that in this area,” adds Marchurst Road resident Glenn Carroll.

“This is farming land here; it’s a farming community. There’s no spot for an industrial facility. It’s protected wetlands. There’s all kinds of wildlife in there that could be harmed or pushed out of the area because of noise and light pollution. If there’s a fire, God help us, water pollution, smoke, toxic gases, everything.”

But despite concerns from residents and a recommendation by the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee to reject the proposal, city council voted 20-3 in favour of supporting the project on Wednesday.

In a statement, Evolugen said, “The resolution represents a significant milestone for the project, which Brookfield Renewable has been actively developing over the past several months, in equal partnership with the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation.”

A proposal for a similar project to be located 13 kilometres away in Fitzroy Harbour was rejected last year by council.

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says the province is putting pressure on municipalities to push projects like this BESS through.

“To some extent, you know, I think some of us at the city feel like the process is forced on us too, because this is a provincial jurisdiction,” he says.

Evolugen says if approvals go according to plan, the site is expected to be complete by 2027.