A report prepared for Trent University states as part of its commitment to sustainability and the environment, it is considering an agreement to lease a portion of its lands on the Symons Campus to allow for the creation of a battery energy storage system.

On Monday, the university’s board of governors received a report that suggests the proposed project could significantly reduce the province’s carbon emissions while helping meet the power needs of Ontario.

“The project would add to a host of environmental initiatives, sustainability projects and research led by the university, and would advance affordable and efficient energy helping to advance Ontario’s path to a net-zero future,” a release from the board reads. Ameresco and Atura Power are leading the initiative.

The announcement falls on the heels of a similar proposal for a facility to potentially be located in Selwyn Township. A Houston, Texas-based company — Plus Power — is in the early stages of developing a battery energy storage system on a four hectare site off Lily Lake Road, just west of Fife’s Bay Road adjacent to Hydro One’s Dobbin transformer substation.

Battery energy storage systems store energy overnight when the provincial grid is producing the lowest cost and lowest carbon energy. This stored energy can then provide power at strategic times when the Ontario system operators typically turn to gas-fired generation to meet high demand for electricity.

These battery energy storage systems assist in the transition to sustainable energy, the conversion to electric energy, and help reduce the carbon footprint.

The university, together with the proponents, have identified approximately four to eight hectares along the hydro corridor on the east bank as an optimal location for this project due to its proximity to transmission infrastructure.

This parcel of land was studied as part of the Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan and was found to have low or no environmental constraints and is designated for future university use.

Ameresco and Atura Power will

submit a bid to the province by Dec. 12, 2023, and if selected, will engage in formal consultation with Indigenous communities, conduct environmental and archeological studies, and obtain regulatory approval before the project can proceed.

Next steps include engaging with the community, securing a resolution from the municipality and negotiating a final land lease toward the planned submission of this project to the IESO. It will also help manage the increasing costs of electricity and energy for the campus.

To learn more, visit the project webpage at aturapower.com/peterboroughenergystorage or attend one of several information sessions. The Trent community is invited to meet with Atura Power to learn more about the proposed project on Thursday outside Wenjack Theatre in Otonabee College from 11 a.m. until noon, and outside Bata Bean in Bata Library from 1 to 2 p.m.

Atura Power is also inviting members of the Trent and wider community to a public information meeting to learn more about this project next Tuesday at Stohn Hall, Trent Student Centre room 1.22, at 1600 West Bank Dr. in Peterborough. There will be an open house from 4 to 8 p.m. with presentations and Q&A: at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For those unable to participate, meeting materials will be posted on the project webpage at aturapower.com/peterboroughenergystorage for review following the meeting.