Oxford County politicians have approved a step forward in a Quebec-based renewable energy company’s plan to build a battery energy storage system in a gravel pit.

At a recent council meeting, Oxford County councillors voted to amend the county’s official plan to allow Boralex Inc.’s battery energy storage system (BESS) at Thornton Sand and Gravel, located in the largely rural municipality of South-West Oxford near Woodstock. The facility would provide power to both communities and the wider county.

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Although the amendment grants only “planning permission,” similar to allowing higher housing density through an official plan change, Warden Marcus Ryan called the project an “excellent use of land.” He emphasized the importance of the site’s construction to accommodate the

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