The Government of Canada is investing in renewable energy across the country and working with Indigenous partners to build major projects, as we move toward a more sustainable and prosperous future by creating an electricity grid that provides clean and affordable energy to homes and businesses when they need it.
Today, representatives from Neqotkuk (also known as Tobique First Nation), Saint John Energy, and Natural Forces joined together for the inauguration of a large battery energy storage system, which is part of the Burchill Wind Project in Saint John, New Brunswick.Originally announced in the spring of 2022, the Burchill Wind Project partnership is a $95 million Indigenous-led project, which received nearly $50 million in funding from Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to help deploy the project's 10 wind turbine generators.
The new battery energy storage system is the largest of its kind in New Brunswick and will help store the intermittent electricity created by Burchill's 10 wind turbine generators, which generate up to 42 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity to the Saint John Energy grid-even when the wind isn't blowing. It also helps store extra electricity when the demand is low and helps address peak energy demands during the coldest winter months. The battery system may also 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 an equitable transition to an electrified economy. Federal funding for the project is provided by Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program. This program is designed to help replace fossil-fuel-generated electricity with renewable energy, battery storage, and grid modernization solutions. Budget 2023 increased the total Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program budget to $4.5 billion, in order to support critical regional priorities, Indigenous-led projects, and add transmission projects to the program's eligibility. This program is actively supporting Canada's ongoing transition to a net-zero economy by 2050.
