Ontario Farmers Give a Master Class in Opposing Battery Systems

200 rural residents who assembled in Alexandria, Ontario on April 30^th gave a master class in rallying public support against Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) projects. For many of the points they made apply perfectly to BESS installations everywhere.

To help people in other jurisdictions assemble their own anti-BESS questions and statements for public meetings, here is some of what these citizens said at the meeting.

Richard Hudon, the Public Relations Officer of SaveSDG.com, a group of rural residents opposed to the BESS installation, asked the following of President Jonathan Cheszes, President of Compass Greenfield Development (CGD), the company leading the BESS project:

“If there is a power grid failure beyond 4 hours, the BESS facility must be kept cool by a gasoline or diesel or natural gas or propane powered generator. If the power grid failure goes beyond 10 hours, which has historically happened many times in our area in the past, how is cooling provided to the BESS facility when no more fuel is available which will then cause overheating and the lithium batteries to explode and burn? … A BESS can still go into a catastrophic thermal runaway even after it is discharged if it is not adequately cooled.”

Cheszes simply explained that the units are originally shipped from the manufacturer with enough internal power to keep them cool for six months. What happens when that power is depleted was not addressed. Scott Gerylo, Senior Director, Construction & Operations with CGD, then said,

“The batteries only heat up if they are being used.”

That is incorrect, as Hudon explained in his question. Gerylo then made a strange analogy between their BESS and a cell phone battery, explaining that the latter will not overheat if not discharging or charging, a situation that is not true for BESS.

Another resident, Heinz Kaswurm, then said:

“Lithium-ion-based batteries used in BESS systems rely on a mix of materials that require massive amounts of energy to mine, transport, process, and refine. It takes far greater than the extraction and transport of oil and natural gas. Even the CBC has pointed out that making batteries produces significant amounts of greenhouse gases."

“About 58% of the world’s lithium reserves are found in the “lithium triangle” in Chile. In order to get one pound of pure lithium, 1,000 pounds of lithium brines must be processed. So, native peoples in the lithium triangle face contaminated rivers that are essential for human consumption, livestock watering, irrigation systems and mountains of discarded salt from the lithium brining process are left behind as a result.

“A lot of this problem is due to the fact that much of the lithium processing in Chile is controlled by China, which has a very poor environmental and human rights record. Even though China holds less than 7% of the world’s lithium reserves, it controls about 80% of global lithium chemical production. This includes refining lithium into battery-grade materials used in BESS.

“Million of litres of water is needed to produce a tonne of lithium. In Chile’s Salar de Atacama, lithium and other mining activities consumed 65% of the region’s water. That is having a big impact on local farmers in one of the driest desert regions on Earth. So, some of these communities must now get water transferred in from elsewhere as a consequence.

“Where is this lithium that you plan to use in your BESS project mined and processed and what guarantees can you give us that you are not causing massive environmental harm in the production of your batteries?”

Cheszes replied, “That’s a valid question and concern. Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer. We don’t trace the source of the lithium that goes into the batteries that we’re using.”

Resident Richard Russell, then discussed the serious flaws in BESS Proposals for Rural Ontario:

“Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) … require substantial conventional power to maintain optimal temperatures, yet can only store and discharge up to four hours of electricity—far less than needed during peak demand. For instance, replacing three days of natural gas power (250,000 MW) with BESS would cost $600 billion, doubling electricity costs for ratepayers. Wind and solar are unreliable, producing 29-30% of their capacity on average and less than 15% in the summer when demand peaks. Additionally, manufacturing lithium-ion batteries generates more emissions than they save, especially since most are produced in China using coal power.

“BESS facilities pose health and environmental risks, from lithium mining’s water depletion in South America to high emissions from shipping and production. They also fail to meet long-term energy storage needs, as lithium-ion batteries lose up to 50% of stored energy when discharged. … BESS requires costly HVAC systems and remains ineffective in extreme temperatures. Furthermore, subsidies mask their true cost—without government support, the industry would collapse. Alberta’s near-blackout in 2024 demonstrated BESS’s unreliability, supplying only 10 minutes of backup before requiring coal imports.

“Decommissioning BESS adds another financial burden, with lithium-ion systems costing between $50 to $150 per kWh to dismantle and recycle. Despite claims of reducing emissions, the full lifecycle of BESS—from manufacturing to disposal—increases carbon output. With renewables dependent on unreliable storage, Ontario’s electricity costs have already doubled. Until breakthroughs in long-duration storage occur, BESS remains an impractical solution, diverting prime agricultural land for industrial use while failing to deliver affordable, reliable, or truly green energy.”

Cheszes replied that they “bid against natural gas generation and natural gas generation was more expensive…we’re not getting a subsidy and they’re cheaper than the alternative.”

Russell said later:

“I was not satisfied at all [with Cheszes’ response]… He tried to suggest my report about the Alberta 2024 blackout was misinformation [which it was not]. He also made the unsupported claim that BESS energy is cheaper than Natural Gas.”

Congratulations to North Glengarry farmers for demonstrating how to stand up against dangerous BESS installations!

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