Wellington Federation of Agriculture opposes battery energy storage on prime ag land

The Wellington Federation of Agriculture believes battery energy storage systems should not be placed on prime agricultural land. 

In a new letter, the Wellington Federation of Agriculture (WFA) is requesting Wellington County implement eight policy and contractual obligations to protect prime ag as some local municipalities begin to debate whether to provide municipal support for several new proposals for local battery energy storage systems (BESS). 

This follows Centre Wellington's decision to support two BESS facilities on prime ag in Belwood and Fergus earlier this week. 

Storing electrical energy in batteries for later use, BESS act as a form of both supply and demand by storing low-cost power during off-peak periods and feeding it back into the grid when the demand for electricity is highest and can be "particularly useful" when integrating renewable resources like wind and solar.