Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Battery Storage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chester board reviews battery‑storage rules and safety concerns as moratorium continues
Summary
As part of the zoning update, town counsel presented a tiered battery energy storage local law; board members raised fire‑safety and emergency‑response concerns and staff said the town has had a moratorium in place while it crafts site‑specific standards.
Town Attorney Liz told the board the draft zoning package adds a model local law to regulate battery energy storage systems (BESS) using a tiered approach and that the town has had a moratorium in place for roughly 18 months while it develops regulations.
Liz said the draft treats small residential battery backup differently from large utility‑scale systems and that larger installations will be subject to site‑specific review, emergency‑response plans and fire‑department coordination. She warned against leaving battery storage entirely unregulated and said some municipalities have adopted moratoria to buy time to write rules suited to local conditions.
Board members expressed concern about fires and first‑responder readiness. Liz recommended involving the fire department in drafting response protocols and said installations must include an emergency response package as part of the application. She also suggested considering the statewide guidance and model local laws rather than trying to regulate every technical detail at once.
The board did not vote. Staff will continue research, and counsel said the town could treat battery storage as a separate, standalone local law if the board prefers to keep it distinct from the zoning redline. Additional materials and recommended edits will be circulated to the board for review.
