Canada's biggest battery storage project underway in Eastern Ontario

Written By Peter Allan

Premier Doug Ford and local officials break ground on the Skyview 2 battery storage facility in Edwardsburgh Cardinal. Photo via Premier Ford X account.

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz

Ontario is building Canada’s largest battery storage facility in the Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal — a project that will be able to power about 400,000 homes once completed.

Mayor Tory Deschamps told Canada’s National Observer the project, which is designed to store more than 400 megawatts of electricity for up to four hours, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for his small community of about 7,700 residents.

“It’s a game changer,” he said. “To have basically a billion-dollar investment in our township, from a financial standpoint, when it comes to development and the jobs that come from building it, is enormous.”

The Skyview 2 Battery Energy Storage System was first estimated to cost over $750 million, but Deschamps said it could reach nearly a billion dollars by the time it is finished.

Ontario has forecast a sharp rise in electricity demand by 2050 as population and industry grow.

Premier Doug Ford, in announcing the project, said the province’s new energy investments are meant to secure power for future generations and ensure Ontario has the infrastructure needed to support economic growth.

He said these efforts will make the province “an energy superpower” and more self-reliant at a time of global uncertainty.

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