Canadian electric utility BC Hydro and the province of British Columbia (BC) are advancing the first major batteray energy storage system (BESS) project in the province.
Announced 20 July, BC Hydro and the province are launching a procurement process for a BESS project that will deliver “at least 100MW of battery storage capacity,” on Vancouver Island.
On Thursday, 30 July 2026, BC Hydro said it will issue a request for supplier qualifications to identify and pre-qualify experienced companies capable of designing and delivering the project.
Based on a review of responses received to the request for supplier qualifications, a pool of respondents will be invited to participate in a request for proposals (RFP) expected this year.
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BC Hydro expects to own and operate the BESS, helping to ensure it can be deployed when and where it is needed most to support its customers and maintain system reliability. BC Hydro further stated it will leverage private-sector expertise through a competitive process for design, construction and potentially long-term maintenance services.
After an evaluation of reliability, cost, environmental, and stakeholder factors, BC Hydro has chosen a site next to the Vancouver Island Terminal Substation near Duncan as the preferred location.
The utility said that utilising BC Hydro-owned land allows the project to be seamlessly integrated into the existing electricity infrastructure while reducing development impacts.
The facility is scheduled to become operational by 2030 and will support Vancouver Island’s electricity system as demand grows from expanding residential, commercial, and community development.
The Vancouver Island battery project is the first battery storage investment moving forward under BC Hydro’s Powering Growth plan. Powering Growth is BC Hydro’s strategy to address increasing electricity demand through conservation, optimisation of existing infrastructure, and investments in new renewable generation, transmission, and storage assets.
Under this plan, BC Hydro claims it has identified up to 500MW of potential battery storage capacity across British Columbia.
British Columbia, specifically Vancouver, is also home to a second-life BESS manufacturing hub from Moment Energy. The facility reached full-scale production in 2025 and produces the company’s Luna BESS, a 400kWh/1MWh unit that can be scaled into 10MWh that uses repurposed second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
In 2024, Energy Plug Technologies and the Malahat Nation began construction on Canada’s first indigenous-led energy storage gigafactory in Mill Bay, British Columbia, with a target production output of 1GWh-per-year.
