Imperial's Sarnia site has found a new way to be a bit more energy efficient.
The refinery is installing new battery technology which will help reduce the demands on Ontario's power grid.
Manager Glenn Hayes said not surprisingly, the site is a fairly large energy consumer.
"During normal operations, we're generating some energy and power internally and the rest we need, we pull off the same grid that [the public] would pull off of. So, what the batteries will allow us to do is charge them up at night, when the Ontario grid's very green, and then discharge them during peak daytime hours."
Hayes said when the install is complete, it should add some resilience to the site's power supply.
"As well as help reduce the demands on the grid during peak times and ultimately reduce the emissions associated with the production of power for our use."
Hayes said they're aiming to have the installation and start up complete in the late August to early September timeframe.
Hayes said similar to a cellphone battery, these ones will degrade over time with each charging cycle.
"But the technology we're using is different -- it's better suited for our application and it's a heck of a lot more robust. So, what we expect is that with the scale of the installation we're putting in place, the life will be measured in decades versus years."
Hayes said the technology is established and they believe it's being used elsewhere in industry, but it would be a new application for Imperial.
"And from a scale standpoint, what we're installing will be larger than most, if not all of the existing installations."
Hayes said they're working alongside a third-party partner who has a lot of experience in the area
Hayes said energy consumption is typically one of the facility's highest overall costs.
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-With files from Natalia Vega
