Electricity Act Amendments Allow More Energy Storage Solutions

Amendments to the Electricity Act introduced today, March 22, will open the door for more storage solutions for renewable electricity.

“We need to accelerate the use of battery storage in Nova Scotia to help us get off coal and meet our renewable electricity targets,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “These amendments encourage innovation and early adoption of battery technology in the province.”

Changes to the act will allow the Department to issue requests for proposals for energy storage solutions, like large-scale batteries. Currently, only Nova Scotia Power is permitted to own such storage methods.

Other amendments will allow the Department to issue contracts for well-developed, innovative energy storage projects that can be implemented quickly. These projects will also help identify the best ways for using energy storage in Nova Scotia.

The amendments support the addition of more renewables to the electricity system while reducing costs for ratepayers.

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia’s climate change goals include getting off coal and producing 80 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2030
• getting off coal requires adequate energy storage technology to balance electricity generation and demand
• future procurements will consider all types of renewable energy storage

Additional Resources:

Bills tabled in the legislature are available at: https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/bills-statutes/bills/assembly-64-session-1

Electricity Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/electricity.pdf