Letter: South March landowner excited for BESS project

To the Editor,

As you may know, my family has lived in West Carleton for generations. We grew up here, farmed the land, started businesses, built homes and raised our families.

I personally am a sixth-generation resident continuing to live and work on the original land. Like you, I’ve seen many changes and a lot of growth in our community in my 50-plus years living here. 

When I was recently approached by the Evolugen team regarding a battery storage project, it certainly grabbed my attention. I turned to my oldest son who actually works in the field of electric chemistry to discuss with him.

After gathering more information from my son, I met with the Evolugen team to learn more about the specific project, its purpose and how it would benefit our community.

As we all know, it seems power outages are becoming more common and it’s apparent our current electrical grid is not keeping up with the growth and demand in our communities. 

The Evolugen team took the time and addressed all my family’s questions and explained their proposal in greater detail. The planned site will use approximately 10 acres of land in the back corner of our property on Marchurst Road, hidden from any homes, walking/hiking trails, etc.  

Ontario Hydro built the hydro corridor in our community in the 1930s, which has allowed for the development of Ottawa and the surrounding communities for almost a century.   

The added benefit of the proposed site is its close proximity to the existing transmission lines – the electrical infrastructure is already in place.

After lengthy discussions with the Evolugen team, it was clear this project was needed in our community for continued growth and development over the next century. I also learned these projects are being built across our province and around the world to transition to renewable energy sources; enhance grid stability; and supply the power we need now and in the future. Ours will hook directly into the South March substation.

What really got my attention was the $5 million Community Development Fund Evolugen is proposing. We have seniors in our community who need rides to medical appointments; volunteer organizations like the West Carleton Food Access Centre; and so many other deserving causes that need funding. The best part is the funds will stay in West Carleton and the residents of West Carleton will decide where this money goes.

I encourage you to go online at GetChargedOttawa.ca to learn more about the benefits of BESS projects in general and the community development fund. This is sure to have a significant positive impact for our community for generations to come. 

Sincerely,
Wayne Carroll,
Longtime Resident of West Carleton/South March.