Planning board backs zoning rules for battery storage after safety, noise and revenue questions

The Revere Planning Board voted unanimously Tuesday to favorably recommend to the City Council a proposed zoning amendment that would establish rules for battery energy storage systems, commonly called BESS.

The board’s action follows a public hearing in which city staff and residents asked questions about fire suppression, training for local firefighters, noise, setbacks from residences and what would happen if a project were abandoned. Frank, a staff member who answered many technical questions during the hearing, said the systems would be either housed inside buildings or self-contained containers and that National Fire Protection Association standards and local permit conditions would require fire suppression and training for the city’s fire personnel. “Yeah. Absolutely,” Frank said when asked whether suppression systems and NFPA requirements would apply.

The board’s motion to recommend the amendment, made by Mister Abrams and seconded by Mister Rivera, passed on a roll-call vote: Abrams, Costanza, Hoffman, Rivera and Simmons Hurling all voted yes.

Why it matters: the ordinance would set local requirements for where and how large battery storage facilities may be built in Revere and establish permitting, safety and abandonment rules that city staff said would protect residents and define developer obligations. During the hearing officials described potential local revenue from a pilot payment-in-lieu arrangement of about $8,000 per megawatt per year; at a 200-megawatt pilot capacity that figure was cited as roughly $1,600,000 annually.

Board and staff responses: Frank told the hearing the city expects developers to post performance bonds and to pay for removal of batteries and equipment if a project is discontinued. He said companies proposing facilities would be responsible for financing required training and equipment for the Revere Fire Department and for meeting permit conditions. Frank said companies claim roughly a 12-month construction period and about 100 construction jobs, with permanent staffing on the order of about 10 positions.

Safety and neighborhood concerns: Speakers at the hearing asked whether the batteries would be open-air or enclosed, whether they would hum, and what fire apparatus the city has or would need. Frank said the battery installations can require separation and buffering because of risks described as “thermal runaway” if a cell fails, and that setbacks of about 50 feet were being contemplated. He also said the audible noise is “very slight” and that the city’s noise ordinance would be applied and supplemented by buffers and building enclosures where appropriate.

Regional context: Staff said companies have proposed or are planning projects across the region — including Chelsea, Everett and other New England communities — with facility sizes cited during the hearing ranging from the 180–200 megawatt range up to facilities described in other projects as large as 400 megawatts.

What the vote did: The Planning Board’s favorable recommendation sends the proposed zoning amendment to the City Council and its zoning subcommittee for further review and possible modification. Board members and staff said additional changes are possible when the Council and its subcommittees consider the proposal.

Next steps: The ordinance will move to the City Council for review. The Planning Board noted that the special-permit route was currently advertised but that the council or zoning bodies could alter permitting pathways as the municipal process continues.