The Canadian government, Indigenous partners, Saint John Energy and Natural Forces have partnered to unveil a battery energy storage system, which is part of the Burchill wind project in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Burchill Wind Project partnership is a $95 million Indigenous-led project, which secured about $50 million funds from Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, to help deploy the project’s 10 wind turbine generators.
The BESS will not only store the intermittent electricity produced by Burchill’s 10 wind turbine generators, which generate up to 42 MW of clean, renewable electricity to the Saint John Energy grid but also help collect extra electricity during low demand and address peak energy demands during the winter season.
It is also expected to help Saint John Energy provide power to customers during power outages due to storm events. The project will support a greener grid in New Brunswick and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while supporting a transition to an electrified economy.
The project’s federal funding is provided by Canada’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, which is designed to help replace fossil-fuel-generated electricity with renewable energy, battery storage, and grid modernization solutions.
The total Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program budget was increased to $4.5 billion in 2023 to support critical regional priorities, Indigenous-led projects and add transmission projects to the program's eligibility. The program is supporting Canada’s ongoing transition to a net-zero economy by 2050.
