St. Marys Cement has entered a long-term agreement with Rodan Energy Solutions Inc. for a 50 megawatt-hour (MWh), behind-the-meter battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Bowmanville, Ontario mill outside Toronto – becoming Canada’s largest behind-the-meter BESS installation to date. Rodan Energy, based in Mississauga, Ontario, will engineer a modular system to charge during lower electricity demand intervals and power Bowmanville plant operations during peak grid output.
The agreement represents an important step in a broader strategy of St. Marys Toronto parent, Votorantim Cimentos North America (VCNA), to improve energy performance and operational resilience, while advancing sustainability measures.
“This project brings together energy cost management, operational resilience and our sustainability roadmap in a practical way,” said VCNA CEO Jorge Wagner. “It reflects Sustainable Legacy, one of Our VC Way values, and commitment to creating lasting value for our operations and communities. Rodan Energy has the technical capability and operational depth to help us deliver these outcomes over the life of the asset.”
As an enterprise first of its kind project, he adds, the Bowmanville BESS creates a foundation for evaluating similar opportunities across other VCNA operations, where targeted energy infrastructure can support reliable production, cost efficiency and sustainability commitment progress.
Rodan Energy will develop, own, and operate the system, delivering ongoing energy optimization through its proprietary FlexOps platform, which currently manages over 1,500 MW of distributed energy resources – including curtailable load, generation, and grid-connected and BESS – across North America. At Bowmanville, the firm assumes the development capital and operational risk; St. Marys Cement benefits from a fully managed, long-term energy solution with no upfront outlay.
“This agreement is a demonstration of what behind-the-meter BESS can deliver for large industrial energy users – real economic savings, a lower emissions footprint, and energy security they control,” noted Rodan Energy CEO Paul Grod. “Our performance is tied directly to delivering meaningful outcomes for St. Marys Cement. We are actively building a North American portfolio of projects like this, and looking for the right partners, financiers, battery manufacturers, and EPCs to grow with us.”
