French independent power producer Neoen has locked in a 20-year capacity services contract from Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) for a 200 MW / 1,600 MWh battery energy storage system near Dryden in Northwestern Ontario, one of the biggest awards in Canada's largest-ever storage procurement.
190 MW Of Capacity, 1,600 MWh Of Storage
Announced June 23 and detailed in follow-up reporting on July 1, the IESO award covers 190 MW / 1,520 MWh of capacity, fulfilled by Neoen's 200 MW / 1,600 MWh project. The BESS is part of IESO's Second Long-Term Request for Proposals (LT2), which targets 3 TWh of new energy generation and 600 MW of new capacity. In an earlier LT2 announcement, IESO revealed 640 MW of new capacity had been secured across three projects without naming winners.
50/50 Partnership With Eagle Lake First Nation
The Dryden project — located about 15 km west of the city in the District of Kenora — will be co-owned by Neoen and Eagle Lake First Nation under a 50% equity partnership. It is Eagle Lake First Nation's first utility-scale renewable project. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 with a target in-service date of 2030.
Building On Canada's Largest Storage Buildout
This is Neoen's second big Ontario battery award. In May 2024, the IPP secured a 20-year capacity contract from IESO for the 400 MW / 1,600 MWh Tara BESS through the Long-Term 1 (LT1) tender, which awarded over 850 MW of BESS capacity across two 2023 tranches. IESO also launched a separate Long Lead-Time RFP in May targeting 800 MW of long-duration energy storage, drawing early interest from compressed-air storage developer Hydrostor.
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Reporting based on coverage from Energy-Storage.News and Neoen statements.