Grey County Council has given its conditional support to TC Energy’s proposed pumped storage facility in Meaford.
TC Energy is proposing an energy storage facility on Department of Defence lands at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre that would provide 1,000 megawatts of electricity by drawing water in from Georgian Bay, deep into the Niagara Escarpment rock at low demand times, and releasing it to create electricity when demand is high.
The conditional support is subject to the results of environmental and impact assessments and the approval of Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
The question of conditional support came in the form of a motion from County Councillor and Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy at Thursday’s meeting.
County Councillor and Meaford Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney noted, Meaford council passed a motion of conditional support in February 2023, which is also conditional upon the findings of the environmental assessment process.
Councillor Boddy noted, “I understand the impact assessment process is going to start later this year and will take approximately three years. It will provide numerous opportunities for the project team, federal and provincial agencies to share information and receive feedback from interested parties and Indigenous Nations.”
He added, “I note, all interested parties will have the opportunity to engage directly with the regulator to voice concerns, questions and request clarification. That is the proper place for scientific input and rigorous review. That’s the place for those that are opposed that have concerns and questions– that’s the place for them to be heard and to make their presentations.”
Boddy added, “There are still a lot of decisions to be made by the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, by TC Energy, by our provincial government ministries and agencies before this project gets final approval.”
County Councillor and Meaford Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney seconded the motion, and said, “Public engagement will be a major component of the federal impact assessment process. I beleive we will never know if this project could be good for Grey County without the next phase which is the assessment process identified in this motion.”
There is some public opposition to the proposed project, including from the Group Save Georgian Bay who says on its website it believes it could cause irreparable harm both to the Niagara Escarpment and to the waters of Georgian Bay.