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Alectra and Convergent have completed three Ontario battery energy storage projects with a combined 320MW/320MWh of capacity and energy, under 20-year contracts awarded through the IESO’s LT1 procurement. Separately, Rodan Energy has signed a long-term agreement to develop and operate a 50MWh behind-the-meter battery at St. Marys Cement’s Bowmanville plant; the companies describe it as Canada’s largest such installation, but the project’s completion date was not provided.
Alectra and Convergent have completed three battery energy storage facilities in Ontario with a combined 80MW of power capacity and 320MWh of storage, while Rodan Energy is advancing a separate 50MWh battery project at a cement plant in Bowmanville. The developments add both grid-connected storage and an industrial behind-the-meter project to Ontario’s energy storage pipeline.
The completed portfolio comprises Vaughan 3 Energy Storage 1 LP, rated at 40MW/160MWh; Vaughan 1E Energy 1 LP, at 20MW/80MWh; and Arlen Energy Storage 1 LP, also at 20MW/80MWh. Together, the facilities total 80MW of discharge capacity and 320MWh of energy storage. Ontario Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce joined Alectra executives for a tour and ribbon-cutting at Vaughan 3. The supplied report does not give a completion date for the full portfolio.
The projects were awarded 20-year contracts through the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) Expedited Long-Term 1 procurement. The event was attended by government representatives and IESO President and CEO Jason Fitzsimmons, according to the report. Alectra and Convergent are the developers associated with the three facilities; details on the individual projects’ operating arrangements were not included in the supplied material.
Rodan’s separate agreement with St. Marys Cement Inc., a subsidiary of Votorantim Cimentos North America, covers development, ownership and optimisation of a 50MWh battery at the Bowmanville plant. Rodan says it will develop, own and operate the system through its FlexOps managed operations platform, with no upfront capital outlay for the cement company. The battery is intended to charge during lower-demand periods and reduce the plant’s grid demand during peak periods while supporting essential operations.
Storage Expands Across Ontario
The completed facilities add 320MWh of contracted storage to Ontario’s electricity system. Batteries can shift electricity use over time: stored energy can be discharged when demand is higher, providing flexibility to the grid. The three projects’ 20-year contracts also show how long-term procurement is supporting utility-scale storage development.
Rodan’s project applies storage at a different scale and location. A battery behind the meter can help an industrial site manage its electricity demand, while potentially offering flexibility to the wider system. Rodan says the Bowmanville installation will reduce peak grid demand and energy costs, and support plant resilience. Those are the company’s stated aims; the source material does not provide measured savings, emissions reductions or operating results.
The industrial agreement also shifts project responsibilities: Rodan says it will take on development capital and operating risk, leaving St. Marys Cement with a managed energy service rather than an upfront investment. The arrangement may be relevant to other large electricity users considering storage, though its financial terms were not disclosed.
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Ontario’s Storage Procurement Pipeline
The IESO awarded more than 850MW of battery storage capacity contracts across two tranches of its LT1 procurement in May and June 2023, according to the source report. The Alectra-Convergent facilities form part of that contracted build-out. The rating figures distinguish power, measured in megawatts, from stored energy, measured in megawatt-hours; the portfolio is rated at 80MW and 320MWh respectively.
Ontario has since continued seeking storage and other capacity. The report says the IESO secured 640MW of capacity through three projects selected in the capacity stream of its Second Long-Term Request for Proposals in June 2026. The request, announced in August 2024, aimed to procure 3TWh of energy generation and 600MW of new capacity resources. In May, the IESO also launched a Long Lead-Time request for proposals seeking up to 800MW of long-duration energy storage. The supplied material does not specify the year for those May and June references.
Behind-the-meter batteries have also drawn attention from policy advocates. In September, Energy Storage Canada recommended a dedicated Distributed Reliability Track for behind-the-meter and distribution-connected storage in Ontario. The association argued that compensation should reflect the grid benefits of distributed energy resources. That recommendation is a policy proposal, not a confirmed change to Ontario’s procurement or payment rules.
“The company described the Bowmanville project as the largest behind-the-meter battery energy storage installation in Canada to date.”
— Rodan Energy Solutions
Project Results Still Pending
The source material does not provide the date when all three Alectra-Convergent facilities entered service, nor does it state how their output will be dispatched or report operating performance. It also gives no construction schedule or expected completion date for Rodan’s 50MWh Bowmanville system.
Rodan’s description of its project as Canada’s largest behind-the-meter installation is a company claim in the supplied report. No independent comparison is provided. The agreement’s financial terms, the battery’s power rating, its technology, and expected energy or emissions savings are also not specified. It remains unclear whether Ontario will adopt Energy Storage Canada’s proposed distributed-storage procurement track.
Watch for Bowmanville Milestones
The next reported milestone for Rodan’s project will be progress toward development and operation at the Bowmanville cement plant. The supplied material does not identify permitting, construction or commissioning dates, so those milestones cannot yet be placed on a timeline. Performance data would help establish whether the system delivers the anticipated demand management and cost benefits.
For the completed portfolio, further operating information could clarify how the three facilities contribute to Ontario’s electricity system under their long-term contracts. The IESO’s continuing procurement processes and any response to proposals for distributed-resource compensation will shape the broader opportunity for storage projects across the province.
Key Questions
How large is the completed Alectra-Convergent portfolio?
The three facilities total 80MW of power capacity and 320MWh of energy storage: Vaughan 3 is 40MW/160MWh, while Vaughan 1E and Arlen are each 20MW/80MWh.
What is Rodan building in Bowmanville?
Rodan has a long-term agreement to develop, own and operate a 50MWh behind-the-meter battery at St. Marys Cement’s Bowmanville facility. A construction or completion date was not provided.
Is Rodan’s project confirmed as Canada’s largest behind-the-meter battery?
Rodan described it as Canada’s largest behind-the-meter battery installation to date. The supplied report attributes that claim to the company and does not provide independent verification.
How are the projects expected to help?
The Alectra-Convergent facilities add contracted storage capacity to Ontario’s electricity system. Rodan says its battery will let the cement plant charge during lower-demand periods and reduce grid demand during peak periods. Reported savings and operating results are not yet available in the supplied material.
Source: energy-storage.news
