TransAlta seeks to build a battery energy storage facility near Ghost Reservoir

TransAlta has officially filed its application with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to build a battery energy storage facility near the Ghost Reservoir on the Bow River while addressing concerns about safety and emergency planning in the event of a fire or leak.

The batteries will be capable of storing and deploying up to 180 megawatts of electricity, making this one of the largest storage facilities of its kind in the province.

The company says the lithium-ion batteries will be charged by electricity from TransAlta's existing hydroelectric facility at the reservoir, 15 kilometres west of Cochrane.

Electricity from the batteries will then be pumped back into the provincial power grid when demand for power is high.

"We're taking that energy from the hydro facility, storing it until it's needed and putting it back on the grid at a later time," said Chris Teare, a project manager with TransAlta.

In a letter to stakeholders last month, Teare responded to concerns related to the potential for battery fires and leaks, noise from the facility and whether more power transmission lines will have to be strung up.

"Battery manufacturers have been very focused over the last few years on fire safety and incorporating lessons learned from past events," he wrote.

"As a result of these continuous design improvements, battery facilities are considered quite inherently safe."

Teare says the same lithium-ion battery technology proposed for the Ghost Reservoir project is being deployed in millions of electric vehicles around the world "and is proving a very safe track record given the recent advancements in battery chemistry and safety protocols."

The company also says the risk of the batteries leaking contaminants into the Bow River will be minimized by leak proof battery modules.

"Individual battery cells are fully sealed and further contained within the battery modules (sealed enclosures), minimizing the risk of a leak from the battery."

The company says it has completed a noise impact assessment and expects the project to fall below permissible sound levels set by the AUC. TransAlta says no additional power lines will be needed for the project.

One of the most high profile fires at a battery energy storage system (BESS) occurred at an Arizona Public Service facility in 2019. The fire resulted in an explosion and injured several first responders. A report concluded that an internal cell failure within one battery cell triggered the blaze.

The Calgary-based utility says the Ghost Reservoir project, with an estimated cost of $120 million, will include a number of fire prevention protocols and systems designed to prevent, detect and extinguish any fires.