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Board flags complexity of state consolidated permit and battery-storage projects; calls for detailed upfront disclosure
Summary
Planning Board members reviewed a DOER consolidated permit application and warned that battery storage projects require more detailed technical information than typical solar fields; members urged upfront disclosure to protect public-safety and municipal review capacity.
West Newbury Planning Board members discussed state efforts to consolidate local permitting information for energy siting and noted that battery-storage installations present different technical and safety considerations than simple solar projects.
Tim, speaking about the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) materials, said the consolidated local permit form is long and intended to standardize the application package across municipalities. “It’s 20 pages and it takes 200 to — it’s really something,” he said, adding that battery storage units change the character of a project and that municipalities and public-safety officials need detailed facility information.
Board members cited a recent large example—an Everett facility approved through the state siting board—to underscore the tension between state siting decisions and local preferences. While the state siting process can approve projects on appeal, local review benefits from full disclosure early in the process so the town can identify impacts and participate in the state process.
The board made no regulatory decision on April 7. Members asked staff to keep monitoring state guidance and to flag any proposed battery-storage or large energy projects for early review so the town and public-safety officials can obtain necessary technical details.
