tara bess Project Update

Current as of April 7, 2025. 

Note: a correction to the third bullet under 'What's New?' was made on April 15, 2025, correcting 'spring 2024' to 'spring 2025'.

About the Project
Tara BESS, formerly Grey Owl Storage, is a 400-megawatt (MW), 1600-megawatt hour (MWh) capacity standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) proposed for development on 39 Concession Road 4 in the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, approximately 5-kilometres southeast of the Village of Tara. The project was awarded a 20-year contract by Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in the LT1 RFP procurement. Tara BESS is one of ten energy storage projects awarded a contract in the LT1 procurement to help meet Ontario’s growing electricity needs. Tara BESS is proposed to store and discharge electricity directly to Ontario’s power grid. Neoen Ontario BESS 1 Inc. (Neoen) is leading development of Tara BESS.

What’s New?
•	A mix of 213 trees and shrubs are proposed along the north and east project perimeters to provide visual screening.
•	The 8-metre acoustic barrier wall previously shown along the north side of the facility is no longer proposed.
•	Permit and approval applications for Tara BESS will be submitted throughout spring 2025.

Update on Class EA
Tara BESS is subject to the Class Environmental Assessment for Transmission Facilities process (Class EA) in accordance with the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. On November 25, 2024, Neoen issued a Notice of Commencement of Class EA for Minor Transmission Facilities, a process for electricity transmission-related projects that do not generate electricity. Since then, Neoen has conducted several environmental surveys and assessments of the proposed project lands and gathered community feedback to inform facility design. 

In mid-April 2025, Neoen will issue a Notice of Completion for the Class EA. All feedback received between Notice of Commencement and Notice of Completion will be entered into a consultation record that will form part of Neoen’s Class EA application to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks*. Feedback can be shared by phone, e-mail, online or by mail (see ‘Share Your Feedback’). For more information on the Class EA process, visit www.hydroone.com/classea. 

About Neoen
Neoen is a leading independent power producer of exclusively renewable energy technologies, including solar and onshore wind power, and energy storage solutions. Neoen has a global portfolio capacity of 8.9-gigawatts (GW) in operation or under construction across 14 countries, including 18 battery projects totalling more than 2 GW of capacity. To learn more about Neoen, visit www.neoen.com. 

Share Your Feedback
To share your feedback, ask questions, schedule a meeting, or to subscribe to the Tara BESS e-mail list, please contact us:
Brittany Morrison
Manager, Engagement
E-mail:  info@tarabattery.ca
Phone:  (416) 312-0057
Mail:      Suite 319 – 150 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 1J9

For more information or to share feedback via our online feedback form, visit www.tarabattery.ca.

*Personal information included in your feedback/question, such as name, address, telephone number and property location, is collected, under the authority of Section 30 of the Environmental Assessment Act and is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public. As the information is collected for the purpose of a public record, the protection of personal information provided in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) does not apply (s.37). Personal information you submit will become part of the available public record unless you request that your personal information remain confidential.