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Planning board approves Next Grid 5 MW battery storage at Low Street
Summary
The board approved a just-under-5 MW battery energy storage system at 23 Low Street. Presenter Emma Mto said disturbance would be about 0.75 acre with roughly 0.06 acres of clearing (about 42 trees estimated), a 200-foot underground utility run, 20-foot maintenance clearance and inverters that measure up to about 70 dB at 9 feet; the Conservation Commission granted a determination of applicability.
The Newburyport Planning Board voted Jan. 7 to approve Next Grid’s proposed battery energy storage system at 23 Low Street.
Emma Mto of TRC, presenting for Next Grid, described a site plan locating a just-under-5-megawatt battery system on the southern portion of a parcel now used by a wholesale lumber business. She told the board the project’s total limit of disturbance is about three-quarters of an acre and said the planned clearing is "about 0.06 acres," which she estimated would affect roughly 42 trees. The plan includes fenced equipment pads, limited grading for a crushed-stone yard, and one underground utility trench of roughly 200 linear feet to reach the existing pole for the point of interconnection. Emma said Next Grid would own and operate the battery under an interconnection/service agreement with the utility and operate to discharge during peak hours (generally 2–8 p.m.).
Emma said the Conservation Commission granted the project’s requested determination of applicability at its meeting the previous night. She also told the board that inverters associated with the system "max out at 70 dB measured at 9 ft," and the team discussed fire-department access and a 20-foot clearance for utility maintenance. The presenter said no material storage would be allowed south of a marked line to preserve emergency access.
After a brief public comment period with no speakers recorded, the board moved to approve the application, the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor. Members said they expect final engineering shop drawings and any remaining technical specifications to be reviewed and attached to the permit as part of post-approval conditions.
Board members and staff asked the applicant to provide final elevations, equipment specifications and any required shop drawings for administrative review before construction.
