Selwyn Township Council has given support to a battery energy storage facility that is proposed for Lily Lake Road.
Nexus Energy gave a presentation to council on Tuesday requesting their support for a small scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) application at 277 Lily Lake Road.
Over the last few years, many applications have been brought forward to Selwyn for support of these battery energy storage facilities. The province sees more demand for energy demand with the increase in electric vehicles compounded by the retirement of the Pickering nuclear plant, the refurbishment of other nuclear generating units, as well as expiring contracts for existing facilities.
According to a report presented to Council by the Township Planner Per Lundburg, the Independent Electrical Systems Operator (IESO) is competitively procuring new capacity and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are an important part of developing this additional capacity. BESS helps support the electricity grid by storing energy when demand is low and then delivering that energy back to the grid during periods of high demand.
Nexus Energy, a privately held energy company headquartered in Toronto, is proposing BESS with a storage capacity of approximately 10 MW (80 MWh) at 277 Lily Lake Road which would be a total of 22 self-contained BESS containers being proposed for the site.
Terry Rasmussen, Director of Project Development Nexus Energy told council that the site would store enough energy to power roughly 2, 000 homes for about eight hours at a time at full charge.
Rasmussen said that they hosted a Public Open House for residents and members of the community to learn about the project and ask questions. They circulated the notice of the open house to adjacent landowners, the Township of Selwyn, relevant agencies and were also published in the September 26, 2025, issue of the Peterborough Examiner. Seven people attended the meeting and three comment sheets were submitted.
The majority of the comments Nexus received were concerns regarding fire suppression, wetlands, wildlife, noise, groundwater and property values.
Rasmussen did give council an update on the response to the concerns stating that:
• they have a Fire Suppression and Control Strategy and have been in contact with the Selwyn fire department about their plan
• While the site does have proximity to wetlands, The project meets the setback requirements (30 m) for development near wetlands and a wetland delineation will be completed as a part of the development of the project, with review and approvals from the Otonabee Conservation
• There have been no studies to date on the impact of BESS and property values, large scale studies on wind and solar have shown minimal to no impacts on property value. This project is small scale and expected to take up about an acre of land.
• There is not expected to be any excessive noise from the site, however a detailed noise study will be completed.
• Concerns of land contamination will be addressed through their decommissioning plan, however extensive testing of the air, soil and water were completed at the site of three battery fires that happened in 2023 in New York State where no harmful toxins were detected.
It was also mentioned that while this site will not be creating much job opportunity, it is expected to create about 20-30 construction jobs during its creation. It will also contribute to the Municipality’s tax base with minimal demand on local services
Council supported the motion to provide Nexus energy with a Municipal Support Resolution for the Nexus Energy BESS application for 277 Lily Lake Road. The competitive bid process through the IESO will conclude on December 18. The IESO is expected to notify successful proponents in June of 2026. Should Nexus be successful, a more detailed plan will be brought forward.
For more information visit nexusenergy.com.
