Frequently Asked Questions

We develop, finance, construct, own and operate first-class solar, wind, and battery projects to drive the world’s energy transition. Our projects are designed to provide the cheapest energy possible while benefitting local communities and the environment.

Neoen has operations around the world. While we are headquartered in France, Australia is our most active market and the largest part of our company. Neoen started its international growth in Portugal in 2010, where we developed three large-scale solar farms, and we then spread our activity to Mexico, El Salvador, Jordan, Jamaica, Mozambique, Zambia, Ireland, and Argentina. We have successfully developed projects in each county by building partnerships with local companies and establishing relationships with landowners. Neoen’s total capacity in operation and under construction is over 8 GW and we are aiming for 10 GW by the end of 2030.

Neoen started its activity in Canada in 2022 and has a current active presence in 3 provinces with offices in Calgary and Toronto. In Ontario, Neoen has been awarded a 20-year capacity contract by the IESO for a 400 MW BESS project and is also developing a large portfolio of solar, wind and BESS projects for future IESO procurements. In Calgary, Neoen has an operating solar farm of 93 MWdc and is developing a large portfolio of solar and BESS projects. We are also developing a portfolio of projects in Saskatchewan as well for future SaskPower procurements and other opportunities.

We do not require government subsidies to finance our projects. We finance our projects through a combination of our own shareholder equity and long-term bank loans. We sometimes enter commercial agreements with governments or businesses to sell the power our projects produce.

All Neoen projects meet strict State and Federal Government regulations and are assessed under these regulations. We work closely with governments to ensure we meet all legal requirements and exceed these requirements wherever possible. 

Wind turbines are generally 150 to 270m high (at the highest point). There’s approximately 500 to 1000m between each turbine, but this varies between projects.

• Economic: Larger turbines generate more and cheaper energy because they can access higher wind speeds at higher elevations. They also generate savings in civil and electrical costs (foundations, roads, cables, etc.). 

• Visual: Larger turbines are spaced further apart (up to 1000m) and have lower rotational speeds than smaller turbines.  

• Noise: Larger turbines don’t necessarily make more noise than smaller turbines, due to their slower speed and improvements in blade design.

All wind turbines in Canada are subject to strict noise limits imposed by provincially managed environmental authorities.

Environmental: Larger turbines require less concrete, roads and cables per unit of energy generated. This reduces carbon emissions, construction traffic, and vegetation clearance. Their blades are also above the flight paths of most birds, which greatly reduces the impact to avifauna.

We understand that wind turbines do alter the landscape. But we are committed to working with communities to ensure our wind farms have the least possible detrimental impact on visual amenity.

We encourage individuals and groups with questions about visual impact and solutions to engage with us early.

Overall, we believe that emissions reductions – as well as the immediate and long-term benefits that wind turbines bring to communities – offset some loss of visual amenity.

We also believe that renewables impact the landscape significantly less than traditional, fossil-fuel based sources of electricity such as coal mines.

There are nearly 200,000 wind turbines installed worldwide — many of them in more densely populated areas close to houses.

Some 17 reviews of research literature from these leading health and research organisations concluded there is no published evidence linking wind turbines with adverse health effects:  

• World Health Organisation  
• UK Health Protection Agency  
• US National Research Council 
• Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Centre 

To achieve development approval, a wind farm must demonstrate that noise levels at neighbouring residences will meet strict noise limits under provincial environmental protection guidelines.

Noise levels are then tested after operation starts to ensure compliance. If these limits are exceeded, turbine operators must shut down or de-rate turbines to achieve compliance. These noise thresholds are designed to ensure that noise from a wind farm is not intrusive for the average person.

In Canada, wind turbine noise limits are set by provinces rather than a single federal standard. Limits vary by background noise and time of day. In quiet rural areas, the baseline is typically 40 dBA at homes during low wind speeds. Ontario ranges from 40 dBA to 51 dBA, while Alberta’s AUC Rule 12 sets 40 dBA at night and up to 56 dBA during the day—similar to the sound of a quiet conversation in another room.

At the end of the wind farm’s life cycle (typically 25-30 years) the wind farm is decommissioned and we remove the wind turbines and all above ground structures and rehabilitate the site. This is a condition of the wind farm’s development approval from the State government and our agreement with the landowners.

During decommissioning, most of the materials the wind farm is made from can be reclaimed or recycled.

We will use lithium-ion battery technology from leading manufacturers. These manufacturers are selected through a separate competitive tender process. All components come with long warranty periods. Batteries generally have a 15-year warranty. However, they retain the majority of their capacity right up to this point and are often capable of operating beyond the 15-year mark depending on market conditions and other factors.

A BESS consists of three main components: batteries, a substation, and transmission lines.

Thousands of battery cells are organized into modules and stacked in containers that store energy. Current converters, called inverters, convert incoming alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), and DC to AC when energy is discharged.

Battery containers are connected to a substation that converts high voltage (HV) energy to medium voltage (MV), and MV to HV when energy is discharged. The substation contains transformers, breakers, and switches.

When power is discharged to a grid, the BESS must connect to the power grid, via transmission lines. Transmission lines allow energy to travel between the BESS and grid. Transmission lines are held overhead by steel or wood structures. The point where the BESS connects to the grid is called the point of interconnection (POI).

A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that monitors, controls, and communicates on behalf of the BESS.   

Neoen uses lithium ion phosphate in its BESS facilities.

Neoen is not involved in the sourcing of lithium. Neoen buys the battery packs from the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), such as Tesla. Tesla mostly sources lithium from Australia, Argentina, Chile and China.

The typical lifespan of a BESS is 20 years – the lifespan of the batteries.

By combining wind, solar and storage we can deliver a steady, reliable output of power day and night, whenever consumers need it. To do this, the battery will store energy in times of high renewable energy production and/or low pricing and release energy in times of low renewable energy production and/or high pricing, This is similar to how a battery on a home solar system works. Batteries can also help to stabilise the grid by responding quickly to maintain voltage and frequency levels—ensuring South Australia’s lights stay on.

On average, a battery site takes up approximately 1 hectare for every 100-megawatt (MW) in size. This can vary based on the site conditions and the battery technology utilised. Generally, it is no higher than 2.5 metres.

In making the transition from fossil fuels to ‘baseload’ renewables, the ability to store and dispatch energy will play a key role. Pumped hydro is an example of longer-term storage; that is, suitable for storing energy and releasing it over days or weeks. However, pumped hydro has a relatively low ‘ramping’ time and is less suitable for providing rapid-response services to grid contingency events such as outages or heat waves (with high demand created by air-conditioning).

Battery storage, such as Tesla’s lithium-ion Powerpack technology, fills this key short-term role. These are some of the functions a grid-scale lithium-ion battery may be expected to perform: 

• Network security services, including: Frequency Control Ancillary Services, and Network Loading Control Ancillary Services 

• System Restart Ancillary Services 
• Arbitrage (spot market trading) 
• Peak shaving 
• Block/load shifting 
• Renewable firming and smoothing

Our mission is to design and implement the means to produce, sustainably and on a large scale, the most competitive renewable electricity. Developing battery projects support this mission. 

Battery facility construction typically takes 1.5 years to complete, and includes the following activities:

• Temporary fence installation​
• Equipment mobilization​
• Temporary storage areas​
• Material deliveries (by truck)​
• Clearing, cut, fill and grading​
• Shallow excavation and pouring of concrete slabs or pile installation​
• Hoisting of pre-assembled battery containers and transformers​
• Erection of steel structures and transmission lines​
• Electrical connection work​
• Acoustic barrier wall installation​
• Landscaping

Battery storage can reduce costs for consumers in three ways:  

• supporting more wind and solar, which are now the cheapest forms of power  
• increasing competition and pushing electricity prices down  

• helping to avoid blackouts and the associated costs

Current battery technology comes with an industry-leading 20-year warranty. The batteries still retain most of their capacity at this time, and will be able to operate beyond it depending on market conditions and other factors.

We will undertake a well-informed fire risk management plan prior to construction and work with the local CFA/RFS to mitigate any fire risk. We will use premium battery technology that is tested and certified to national and international standards. The installed system will have appropriate internal management and fault monitoring and detection systems, reducing the overall risk of fire.

The battery will use similar technology to the batteries that are being increasingly installed in homes, just on a larger scale. There are no known health risks associated with properly maintained large-scale battery installations.

While BESS are not particularly noisy facilities, both the battery container fans and transformers emit noise. Fans oscillate to cool the batteries when charging or during warm conditions. Transformers emit a humming noise. Noise mitigation measures may accompany a BESS in close proximity to receptors (residential dwellings).

At the end of the BESS lifecycle, the facility will be assessed for a possible extension. If the project is not extended, we commit to removing all above-ground infrastructure and rehabilitating the site. After removal, a significant portion of battery materials—over 60%, including critical minerals— will be reclaimed or recycled for reuse. The BESS will be fully decommissioned, and the site restored to its current use. Decommissioning of BESS components typically takes about six months, while the entire process, including any required remediation, can take up to two years.

At the time of decommissioning, Neoen will recycle all recyclable components of the BESS.

Yes, a significant amount of the materials in lithium-ion batteries (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, aluminum) can be recovered. Batteries packs will be transported out of the site and disassembled in special facilities. The modular systems (batteries installed in racks) are easy to disassemble and follow design-for-recycling principles. Batteries cells can be re-used for a second life (electrical vehicles, e-bikes, domestic appliances).

Yes, it is emerging. Tesla is developing an in-house battery recycling in their facilities in the US. Battery packs can be returned to Tesla after their end of life. Tesla guarantees that 100% of the battery packs returned to them are recycled and none are landfilled.

We can also work with Li-Cycle, an Ontario-based company created in 2016 to recycle lithium -ion batteries, which was recently acquired by Glencore.

The industry is proactively planning for responsible decommissioning, reuse, and recycling of batteries.  

All energy technologies come with risk of hazard. For BESS facilities, safety risks include thermal runaway and spill events. Thermal runaway is an exothermic reaction whereby damaged battery cells heat abnormally resulting in possible smoke, fire, or deflagration. Thermal runaway can occur from an internal short circuit, external short circuit, external fire, and BESS degradation.

Spill events, including refrigerant, coolant, and oil spills, can result from equipment malfunctions or blunt force to BESS components, such as transformers.

Hazard events are rare and prevented by rigorous design and safety features, including active and passive forms of protection, stringent safety protocols, and 24/7 monitoring. If a hazard occurs, Neoen’s BESS facilities are designed to mitigate propagation, contamination, and injury. Neoen works with local first responders to prepare integrated emergency prevention and response plans for its facilities, to provide facility training, and to ensure response capacity in the event of an emergency.  

The typical response to a BESS fire is to let the compromised container burn. In some cases, cooling of surrounding areas with water may take place. Neoen’s BESS facilities are designed with separation between battery containers to prevent propagation. Passive protection, like the use of fire-resistant materials, spill trays, and non-combustible oils will be used to minimize severity of a potential hazard event. Water is never used directly on a battery fire.

In some cases, a battery fires may result in gas emissions, and evacuation may be required. An air dispersion model (ADM) has been completed for Jumbo BESS that will determine impact to air in the event of fire.

A fire would trigger Neoen’s emergency response protocol. 

With a combination of passive and active systems: advanced battery management systems to monitor the facility 24/7, liquid cooling for thermal control, fire detection sensors, and physical isolation between battery modules. Each battery container includes built-in fire barriers, remote monitoring, and automated shutdown mechanisms to prevent thermal runaway. Additionally, installations follow international fire safety standards like NFPA 855 and UL 9540A, and are typically spaced to limit fire spread between units.

With sealed battery enclosures, enclosed liquid cooling systems, and environmental sensors that detect fluid or pressure anomalies. The system will include containment features and meets international safety and environmental standards.

The land on which Neoen operates is part of the traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples across what is now Canada. We recognize the enduring presence, knowledge, and stewardship of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, and we honour their histories, cultures, and ongoing contributions to our communities. We remain committed to fostering respectful relationships and advancing reconciliation in the work we do.

We comply with all legislation to protect cultural heritage, and are fully committed to avoiding impacts on heritage sites. Depending on the proposed location of assets, a cultural heritage survey may be carried out with our Indigenous Partners.

We also have strong Indigenous workforce participation targets and strive to foster a deep, cooperative relationship with Indigenous Rightsholders across Canada.

We engage specialist consultants for detailed flora and fauna surveys to determine the ecological attributes of the land.

On all of our projects, we aim to minimise the impact on flora and fauna by designing projects outside areas of high conservation significance, and adopting control measures during construction.

During the detailed design, wind turbines will be micro-sited to minimise the potential impact on fauna habitat. Turbine heights will be selected to minimise the overlap between rotor swept area and bird flight heights.

Other mitigation measures include:

• preparing management plans  

• identifying ‘no-go zones’ within the project site  conducting pre-clearance surveys
• We also consult with government departments of environment and biodiversity throughout development, construction and operation of projects, as well as local non-government organisations.

While wind farms are sometimes said to threaten birds, an energy governance study completed in Singapore has shown that wind farms harm 17 times fewer birds per unit of electricity produced than fossil fuel generation.

Studies show that wind farms are probably responsible for impacting birds at rates that are:  

• 400 times fewer than cars  

• 500 times fewer than pesticides  

• 1,200 times fewer than high-tension wires

Larger, modern turbines have blades that are well above the flight paths of the vast majority of birds.  

The main exception is raptors, and we carry out detailed nest surveys and place generous buffers of 1 to 2km around any viable nest that is found. There is also evidence to suggest that raptors adjust to the presence of turbines and will avoid the blades.