HAGERSVILLE—It’s been a little over three months since the Hagersville Battery Energy Storage Park first went online on February 18, 2026. The site was celebrated at an inauguration on Tuesday, May 26, with municipal leaders in attendance to hear about the facility and take guided tours.
Developed through a partnership between Boralex and Six Nations Group, the park currently stands as the largest battery energy storage site in Canada, housing 334 megapaks storing 300 megawatts (MW) with a 1,200-megawatt-hours (MWh) capacity.
Six Nations Elected Chief Sheri Lyn Hill praised the “vision, determination, and strong partnership” behind the facility.
“The Six Nations Group has become a recognized leader in the energy sector. Their growing energy portfolio is not only helping power Ontario, but also creating long-term opportunities that support the Six Nations community, prosperity, and environmental responsibility,” said Hill to the gathered crowd.
Haldimand Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley called the inauguration a “truly historic milestone for Haldimand County and for Ontario’s energy future and partnership with Six Nations.”
She continued, “Today we’re not only celebrating the completion of a major infrastructure project; we’re celebrating innovation, partnership, and a shared commitment to building a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.”
Bentley recalled attending an open house hosted by Boralex early in her tenure as mayor.
“Our community had a lot of questions…. (The proponents) knocked on every single door to make sure people were comfortable,” said Bentley. “If they didn’t do that – give that education piece to our community – we would have had a lot more pushback because people don’t understand how battery storage works.”
Boralex President and CEO Patrick Descostre said the project is more important than ever, considering the volatility of the electrical grid today.
“All these support systems that will be supporting the grid … is something that is extremely important,” said Descostre.
With construction complete, the facility is now maintained daily by one employee, maintenance technician Maranda Mitruk.
“This is my dream job. I love coming here; I love being in charge; I love the fact that it’s the largest in Canada right now,” enthused Mitruk while giving a guided tour of the site. “I just think it’s amazing, and to be the only one here, I think it’s a pretty cool responsibility.”
Walking between the rows of megapaks, she described the inside of the large white cabinets, each containing eight compartments with three trays each of individual battery cells, totaling in the millions across the site.
Those compartments are secured by padlocks controlled by Tesla, who supplied the battery components.
“We don’t have access to it,” said Mitruk, noting Tesla employees have been on site routinely during the first operating months.
“They’ll service the megapaks; they will do any work they need.”
She spoke to a repeated fear within the community that a large fire could break out on the site, spreading toxic chemicals into the air.
“I think people just hear batteries and think fires and danger and all this bad stuff, but realistically these are safer than folks think,” said Mitruk. “Even compared to a house fire, this is the same if not a little bit less than the chemicals put off by a house fire.”
If a fire were to break out inside a megapak, Mitruk said the section surrounding it would be automatically shut down within a “half a second.”
“The fire does not spread from door-to-door. You would leave the door shut and just let it burn out on its own,” she added.
Each day, Mitruk will walk the site – checking the substation, assisting the Tesla team to complete maintenance, doing monthly inspections, and mundane tasks like pulling weeds and keeping things organized.
Even off site, the job requires her to keep her cellphone on hand 24/7 in case of emergency.
“An electrical team in Quebec … can see the relays and see what’s going on,” Mitruk said of the ongoing monitoring. “I do whatever they want here, whether it’s in the middle of the day or the middle of the night.”
Asked to describe her experience so far, Mitruk shared, “It’s been running great. I have no complaints…. I feel confident coming here every day. I know what I’m supposed to do – I get it done. I love it.”
