An N.B. Power executive remains convinced that a large-scale battery system would cost more than a controversial gas and diesel project, despite an unsolicited proposal saying it would cost significantly less.
Energy storage developers NRStor sent a proposal to Energy Minister René Legacy and N.B. Power CEO Lori Clark on Dec. 9, outlining a 400-megawatt, eight-hour battery system they said would cost less than half the $3.5 billion estimated cost of a gas and diesel plant.
But Coady said cost information the utility gathered in 2023 and 2024 was “most accurate,” and the utility didn’t “really see much of a cost advantage” with batteries.
Coady said he could not comment on NRStor’s pricing, and hasn’t seen the proposal.
N.B. Power would not say who read the Dec. 9 proposal or how it was handled.
Coady said the utility will “happily evaluate it” as part of its current call for smaller, 50 megawatt battery projects, which was issued on Dec. 17 and closes at the end of the month.
WATCH | Large-scale battery storage not enough to meet energy demand, N.B. Power says:
Battery storage not a replacement for gas plant, says N.B. Power exec
An N.B. Power executive says that comparable battery storage would be more costly than the proposed 400-megawatt gas plant and wouldn’t meet the energy needs of the utility.
Coady said N.B. Power is concerned that a large-scale battery system would not be as reliable as the gas and diesel project.
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