Oct 24, 20232 min read

Councillor Kelly's Statement on Upcoming Public Meeting for BESS Proposal in Ward 5

Statement from Councillor Kelly:

This week my office came to learn, first through social media, and then through an email from the proponent of the proposal, of a public meeting being held by the proponent Evolugen to present their proposal of a battery energy storage system to members of the community.

Some people have reached out with concerns about this proposal and so I would like to clarify that the City of Ottawa has not approved any BESS project in Ward 5. Evolugen has found a local land owner interested in exploring the possibility of a BESS system on a property on Homesteaders. The public meeting would be one of many steps and consultation opportunities.

Having community engagement on potential projects is extremely important. The process to have a battery energy storage system (BESS) installed on a property is complex and involves many layers of consultation and competition within the Independent Electricity System Operator that works at managing Ontario’s power system in real-time.

There are many steps to the process and inviting the community and the municipality to share their concerns and have their say about the proposal is one of those steps. I will always be committed to ensuring my decisions are informed by the people I represent and I encourage residents to show up for the meeting to hear what the project is all about and to have their questions and concerns addressed.

My office and I will be present at the meeting and look forward to learning more about the idea as well as any concerns and its potential impacts on the community. This is a meeting being held by the proponent of the BESS to fulfill an aspect of the installation process. There are still many approvals and discussions that would need to be had before any construction took place and the community’s involvement in that process is extremely important.

Local stakeholders and community members are invited to share comments, questions and concerns by email at info@evolugen.com or by participating in their upcoming public meetings:

IN-PERSON

Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre (100 Clifford Campbell St, Fitzroy Harbour, ON K0A 1Z0)

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

4:00 – 7:00 pm

VIRTUAL

Zoom Webinar

Thursday, November 2, 2023

6:30 to 8:00 pm