Revere council approves host and pilot agreements for proposed Muzzy Street battery facility

Revere’s City Council voted on June 22 to approve a host-community agreement and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilot agreement with Revolution Storage LLC (working with Flat Iron) for a proposed battery energy storage facility at Muzzy Street. The agreements, councilors and the mayor said, are preliminary and contingent on zoning, permitting and any state approvals.

Mayor said the negotiated package equates to roughly $43 million over the agreement term, including an estimated $1.6 million in annual pilot payments and more than $600,000 in host-community funds earmarked for public-safety training, high-school stabilization and energy-efficiency programs. "We wanted to strike while the iron is hot," the mayor said, arguing the city would lose bargaining leverage if state rules make projects by-right.

Captain Kevin O'Hara, president of Revere Firefighters Local 926, spoke in support after training and research into the systems. "I'm confident that Local 926 can continue to provide the highest level of service to the residents of Revere while ensuring the safety of our firefighters," O'Hara said, citing industry improvements in design, monitoring and emergency procedures.

Councilors pressed for specific protections. Councelor Kelly said she wanted assurances that an initial $600,000 payment for the fire department not be reduced by company-mandated safety expenses, requested CPI indexing for certain annual training amounts, and asked for a clear decommissioning commitment so taxpayers would not bear end-of-life costs. The mayor and staff said decommissioning and plume/dispersion testing will be addressed through site-plan review and permitting; staff also noted a separate decommissioning fund would be required and that the parties discussed a decommissioning bond and escrow mechanisms.

Members of labor and the building trades urged approval on the grounds of jobs and grid resilience. Council discussion acknowledged lingering public concerns; several councilors said they wanted Flat Iron to present to the council and to the nearby community before construction steps proceed. The council approved the host-community agreement by roll call; Councelor Kelly recorded "present" rather than "yes." The council then approved the pilot agreement in a separate roll-call vote; Kelly again voted "present."

The approvals commit the city to enter the negotiated agreements with Revolution Storage LLC but do not grant site or state permits. City officials and councilors said next steps include zoning and site-plan review, state permitting (including any DPU actions), and further community outreach and presentations by the developer.