footprint. “They can be installed on moveable platforms and skids that can be removed when a battery is at the end of its life. At this point, the site can return to its previous use,” says Rangooni. Visual renderings of the proposed Wellington County sites which were presented at municipal meetings show roadways, concrete bases, and inground water tanks, which do not take advantage of the portability identified by Rangooni and would create challenges in returning to farmland. Proposals for BESS sites on agricultural land also bring up concerns about land zoning. Harrop notes that current agricultural zoning would allow for BESS projects on farmland as a secondary use, but as they are considered onfarm diversified uses, the scope needs to be limited. “It should be no more than two per cent of the property site, or up to a hectare, which is smaller than what was being proposed,” says Harrop. “If the projects require re-zoning and are not ag related, it should be on municipal industrial land.” Rob Vanden Hengel, vice-president of Huron County Federation of Agriculture, says that the major concerns surrounding the proposed Huron County site in Seaforth were lack of clarity about regulations, reflecting Rangooni’s observations of lack of familiarity. Some information has not reached affected residents. “A lot of the concerns that we heard were basically that at this time last year there were not a whole lot of rules and regulations for the sites in terms of minimum distances, noise, lights, and stuff like that,” says Vanden Hengel. He did elaborate that there was a meeting in 2023 that welcomed the public, during which the proponent shared contact information. Vanden Hengel says that, from what he has heard, anyone who contacted the proponent with questions received a response. The company has not submitted a formal application to the IESO since the meeting. Another major concern is the risk of fires, the implications of fires for nearby residents and livestock, and the demand on local emergency services. “That was one of questions people asked us: Given it’s a battery, if there’s a fire, what are you supposed to do? There are concerns around that. Another concern is, because of the chemicals in the battery, if there’s a fire, what does the smoke do to the nearby humans and livestock?” says Vanden Hengel. Rangooni explains that to minimize the environmental impact of the batteries and avoid chemical runoff, potential fires would not be suppressed with water. Instead, proponents work with local fire services to develop a detailed prevention and suppression plan. This plan would detail strategies to keep the fire contained to an individual container and minimize the Battery Energy Storage Systems DEMAND NEW HOLLAND https://agriculture.newholland.com/nar/en-us EQUIPPED FOR A NEW WORLD™ Bob Mark New Holland Sales Ltd. Campbellford • 705-653-3700 Bob Mark New Holland Sales Ltd. Lindsay • 705-324-2221 Bob Mark New Holland Sales Ltd. Napanee • 613-354-9244 Bob Mark New Holland Sales Ltd. Sunderland • 705-357-3121 Delta Power Equipment Mitchell • 519-348-8467 Delta Power Equipment St. Marys • 519-349-2180 Delta Power Equipment Tilbury • 519-682-9090 Delta Power Equipment Waterford • 519-443-8622 Delta Power Equipment Watford • 519-849-2744 Delta Power Equipment Winchester • 613-774-2887 Ebert Welding Ltd. New Liskeard • 705-647-6896 ESM Farm Equipment Ltd. Wallenstein • 519-669-5176 Maxville Farm Machinery Ltd. Maxville • 613-527-2834 McCauley Equipment Sales Orillia • 705-325-4424 Oneida New Holland Caledonia • 905-765-5011 Oneida New Holland St Catharines • 905-688-5160 Regional Tractor Sales Ltd. Freelton • 905-659-1094 Richards Equipment Inc. Barrie • 705-721-5530 Robert’s Farm Equipment Sales, Inc. Chesley • 519-363-3192 Robert’s Farm Equipment Sales, Inc. Mount Forest • 519-323-2755 Robert’s Farm Equipment Sales, Inc. Walton • 519-887-6365 Smiths Farm Equipment (Jasper) Ltd. Jasper • 613-283-1758 Stewart’s Equipment Erin • 519-833-9616
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc0MDI3