North Frontenac Resort Community Opposes BESS
Over the past week, both Derrick Lancaster of Lancaster Resort, and Doug Hallman, a Representative from the Board of Directors of Frontenac Shores, have written open letters to North Frontenac Township/the public at large, and the Frontenac News.
The letters are about the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility that Alectra Energy Solutions is hoping to locate on township owned property, adjacent to the Highway 506 waste site. Alectra Energy Solutions is a power generation company that is wholly owned by Alectra Utilities Inc, a municipally owned utility that serves over 1 million homes in Mississauga, Guelph, Vaughan and numerous other communities outside of Toronto.
A special meeting of North Frontenac Council is scheduled for next week, Friday October 24 at 10am, to discuss the proposal. North Frontenac has two related issues to consider. One is whether to lease the land to Alectra for the purpose of a BESS installation, should they win a bid process with the Independent Energy Systems Operator (IESO) of Ontario. The second is whether to pass a motion of initial support for the project. That motion would not amount to a pre-approval for the project, it is only an indication that the township does not oppose the project. If the motion is not passed before the December deadline for the submission of proposals to the IESO for the current Request for Proposal process, Alectra will not be able to submit their bid.
Last fall, Alectra came to South Frontenac with a BESS proposal, and the motion of initial support was defeated at Council, by a 5-4 vote, and the South Frontenac BESS project did not get submitted
The two companies that sent out letters last week are located in close proximity with each other on Road 506 on Mississagagon Lake, not far from the 506 waste site. While they are different, they both conclude by urging the township to reject the proposal.
In his letter, Derrick Lancaster said he is not opposed to the project in principle, “but with its placement in this particular location, where environmental, safety, and cultural factors make it profoundly unsuitable.”
He notes that “the area between Kashwakamak and Mississagagon Lakes lies within a headwater region of the Mississippi River system, where even a minor contamination cascades downstream … any thermal incident, chemical leak, or for suppression run-off from a BESS site, in this corridor, would not remain local – it would directly impact the watershed’s downstream health”.
He also said the location by the waste site is not suitable because waste sites were located in low lying boggy lands when established before modern environmental standards existed.
In his letter, Doug Hallman focused first on environmental risks. He said there are noise pollution, light pollution and water contamination concerns with the project. The letter says that “acoustic experts we’ve consulted predict that industrial fan noise and a 120MHz hum could be heard up to 10km away, especially during quiet nights and early mornings”.
He mentioned potential impacts on the Dark Skies status of North Frontenac from light pollution, and worries about run off from firefighting efforts should a fire occur at the site.
The capacity of the fire department to deal with a potential fire at the site is another concern.
Tourism impacts are another concern for Hallam, particularly for the time share owners at Frontenac Shores, which is a fractional ownership resort.
“If the area loses its natural peace and safety, many of our owners may choose to leave – effectively closing the resort. The project threatens to undermine the very essence of what attracts visitors to North Frontenac: tranquility, nature and a clean environment.”
Both Hallam and Lancaster conclude by expressing their unreserved opposition to the project, Hallam saying, “Frontenac Shores, along with nearby resorts, have united in opposition to this development”, and Lancaster urges the township to “develop a township-wide siting policy for industrial energy infrastructure, identifying zones where energy storage or generation is appropriate (e.g., along hydro corridors or near substations) and where it is not (e.g., near headwater lakes, wetlands, or tourism clusters).”
The letters will be considered by Council along with information from the proponent and information published on the Engage Frontenac project page for North Frontenac BESS.
As is not unusual for contentious public issues, not all sides agree on some of the facts, or even units of measurement.
For example, while Doug Hallam pegs the noise from fans at BESS installations at 120MHz which can be heard up to 10km away, on the Engage Frontenac page the noise from fans is pegged at 75 dBA, approximately the same as the sound of a vacuum cleaner.
It will be up to Council to weigh all of the conflicting claims that will undoubtedly come their way on October 24.
