Nova Scotia Weighs Battery Storage Against Natural Gas Following P.E.I. Fire
After a multi-day fire at a battery facility in Summerside, P.E.I., Nova Scotia's energy regulator is evaluating alternative storage technologies alongside planned natural gas plants to meet its 2030 coal phase-out goals.
The Independent Energy System Operator (IESO) of Nova Scotia has issued a request for qualifications to consider alternative energy storage technologies, including grid-scale batteries, as part of the province’s strategy to replace coal capacity by 2030. This move follows a significant fire at a battery facility in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, which burned into its fifth day and highlighted safety concerns associated with large-scale energy storage.
Premier Tim Houston directed the IESO to evaluate more grid-scale batteries after facing pressure from community groups opposed to new natural gas infrastructure in Pictou County. The province currently generates 40 per cent of its electricity by burning coal and has a legislated goal to replace that 1,200-megawatt capacity by 2030. To achieve this, Nova Scotia plans to add 1,700 megawatts of new or recently built capacity through a mix of wind, solar, batteries, and natural gas.
The proposed capacity mix includes 1,247 MW from wind, 600 MW from two natural gas plants in Pictou County, 450 MW from converting coal plants to fuel oil, 150 MW from converting a coal plant to natural gas, 100 MW from solar, and 300 MW from four-hour battery storage. However, recent events have underscored the fragility of relying solely on intermittent renewables. On Jan. 26, Nova Scotia experienced a near-blackout event when wind generation dropped from 350 megawatts to 75 megawatts while the Bay d’Espoir hydro plant in Newfoundland was clogged with ice.
Safety concerns regarding battery storage have also intensified. There have been 41 grid-scale battery fires in Canada and the United States since 2018, releasing toxic gases and heavy metals that pose health hazards. The Sunbank solar farm and battery backup facility in Summerside caught fire on Sept. 7, likely due to thermal runaway, resulting in warnings for residents to shelter in place due to hydrogen fluoride plumes. Similarly, a fire at the Vistra Energy battery facility in Moss Landing, Calif., began Jan. 16, 2025, compromising over half of its 100,000 batteries and causing chronic health complaints and heavy metal fallout. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Moss Landing site won’t be fully cleaned up until mid-2027.
Opposition to the planned natural gas plants remains strong. Residents of Salt Springs raised concerns about gas plant emissions, the storage of nine million litres of diesel backup fuel, heavy equipment use, and impacts on wells and salmon habitat. The citizen group LEAP: No Gas Plants in Pictou County filed a motion with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court seeking a judicial review of the environmental assessment approval for the gas plants.
The IESO extended the deadline for proposals to build natural gas plants to Jan. 21 and issued a separate request for qualifications on other technologies in October. The regulator will compare costs, reliability, and risks of various technologies before making final decisions in early 2026.