Sault Ste. Marie city councilors will get their first look Tuesday at a massive renewable energy project proposed for the historic Canal District.
The council will be briefed by David Ashbourne, senior land-use planner at Toronto-based Lakeshore Group, which is seeking local support for a $300 million battery energy storage initiative.
If approved, the lithium-ion, or flow battery, project would be built on redeveloped St. Marys Paper, adjacent to the Francis H. Clergue Hydroelectric Station.
The storage capacity is expected to be around 150 megawatts.
Preparations for Tuesday’s city council meeting indicate that community consultation will take place in the fourth quarter of this year.
If approved, construction would begin in fall 2023, with commercial operations beginning in May 2025.
The energy storage facility will add emission-free energy capacity to Ontario’s grid and improve the reliability of PUC Services Inc. and Hydro One, Ashbourne will tell councillors.
Supporters of the project are:
- SB Energy
- Bioveld Energy Ventures
- BMI Group
BMI Group is led by Justus, Paul and John Veldman.
A previous Veldman family venture, Riversedge Developments, conceived and began the revitalization of the Canal District but was unable to complete the project, which was taken over by Tony Porco and SIS Group.
Riversedge also tried unsuccessfully to redevelop the former Soo Falls/Northern Breweries site.
The City Council will be asked Tuesday to approve a resolution in support of the new Canal District proposal.
On an unrelated matter, councilors will be asked on Tuesday to give heritage designation to the ‘yard locker’ building in the Canal area.
City council meetings this week will be held on Tuesday in deference to Queen Elizabeth II’s day of mourning on Monday.
The meeting will be broadcast live on SooToday from 4:30pm on Tuesday.
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