Nova Scotia Power has brought online its third and final grid-scale battery storage facility, completing a trio of installations designed to store renewable energy and improve reliability across the province’s electricity grid.
The White Rock facility, built near the Canaan Road substation in Kings County, began operating on September 3 after completing performance testing and commissioning in August. It joins two other 50-megawatt/200-megawatt-hour, four-hour battery storage sites already operating in Bridgewater and Waverley, which came into service at the end of December.
According to Nova Scotia Power senior project manager Debra McLellan, the three facilities use largely identical equipment, though the physical layout of the storage containers varies slightly by site. A new, smaller substation was also constructed beside the White Rock facility to connect it to the grid.
How the Batteries Support the Grid
The batteries are designed to charge when electricity demand is low and renewable energy supply is abundant, then discharge that stored power back into the grid when needed. Because wind and solar generation is inconsistent, McLellan said the storage systems allow the utility to capture renewable energy that might otherwise go unused during off-peak periods and deploy it later.
While the facilities could technically serve as backup power during outages, McLellan said their primary role is transmission-connected: drawing renewable energy from the grid and feeding it back as needed. The batteries were already put to use during a record winter peak load in February, shortly after the Bridgewater and Waverley sites came online, helping the utility manage the additional demand.
Each facility is designed for a 20-year operational life, with Nova Scotia Power monitoring battery health through ongoing asset management practices. McLellan said the utility could later decide to extend the lifespan of the sites by replacing battery modules or adding more storage containers, depending on future business needs.
Funding and Indigenous Partnership
The federal government contributed $109 million through Natural Resources Canada’s Electricity Predevelopment and Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways programs to help Nova Scotia transition away from coal-fired electricity. The projects also received a $138.2 million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, split between $120.2 million for Nova Scotia Power and $18 million for the Wskijinu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency (WMA).
Funding Behind Nova Scotia's Battery Storage Projects
The funding marks the first clean energy project backed by the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s Indigenous Equity Initiative. Through the WMA, all 13 Mi’kmaw communities in Nova Scotia are participating as equity partners in the project. WMA president and general manager Crystal Nichols said the initiative supports economic reconciliation and incorporates Indigenous values into major project development.
McLellan noted that Nova Scotia Power staff based at the Coldbrook depot were directly involved in constructing and commissioning the new substation at the White Rock site. The battery storage facilities are collectively expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 90,000 tonnes annually by prioritizing storage of non-emitting energy sources, while supporting the integration of additional wind and solar power into the province’s grid.
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