St. Clair Township council has confirmed its support for a proposed battery storage project by Enbridge.
At its Jan. 16 meeting, councilors defeated a motion that would have pulled the municipality’s support.
The energy giant wants to build three large battery storage systems in the township to ensure a reliable energy supply for the region in the coming decades.
During council’s Dec. 19 meeting, Enbridge’s Denise Heckbert said the company will be seeking approval from Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator early next year to build these proposed facilities at three locations in St. Clair Township – at 3132 Tecumseh Rd. in Courtright, on 1129 Petrolia Line in Corunna and at 4534 Ladysmith Rd. in Corunna.
Following that presentation, council agreed to provide Enbridge with a letter of support in principle for the project. The letter was sent shortly, said Clerk Jeff Baranek.
In response to information provided in letters written to the township by several local residents, who wondered if the province has the right to overrule the municipality in the event that the township opposed the project or locations of the battery storage facilities, as was stated during the Dec. 19 meeting, and who also raised concerns about the safety of the battery energy storage sites, insufficient public consultations as well as their effect on agricultural land, Coun. Holly Foster moved a request for reconsideration motion.
She said it was her understanding in December that St. Clair could be overruled by the province should they not support Enbridge, but said, “Now more information has come out since then saying that it’s up to the municipality. I just have some concerns and would like to gather more information on (the project).”
count. Brad Langstaff spoke in favor of Foster’s motion.
“I think what Coun. Foster is discussing is that we were under the understanding that if we didn’t support the project, then we weren’t going to get a community fund … if we resisted at all they were going to go ahead anyways,” he said. “They could rezone the land, they didn’t need any support from council whatsoever.
“The Ministry of Energy and the IESO … have made it clear that the municipalities would have a say in whether or not these projects would go forward and last council meeting we were told that was not true. And I think that potentially had an effect on our vote.”
With the request for reconsideration vote needing at least five votes, it was defeated; count. Cathy Langis, Foster and Langstaff voted in favour.
Enbridge will be holding a second, in-person public meeting to discuss their proposed project on Feb. 2 from 7:30 to 9 pm at the Mooretown Sports Complex on 1166 Emily St.