Tewksbury Conservation Commission Continues Battery Storage Hearing Pending Peer Review

TEWKSBURY -- May 27, 2026, Tewksbury Conservation Commission continues hearing on proposed 125-megawatt battery storage facility near the Great Swamp. Dozens of residents packed the May 27 meeting as East Point Energy's representatives, wetland scientist Greg Hockmuth of Epsilon Associates and civil engineer Frank Holmes of Langan Engineering, presented plans for a lithium-ion battery facility and electric substation on four and a third acres of previously developed industrial land at 73 and 75 Hillman Street, within a Zone 2 wellhead protection area. The commission, which has not yet received an independent peer review from its contracted reviewer TEC, voted unanimously to continue the Notice of Intent and land disturbance permit hearing to June 10. More than a dozen residents, including several identified as interveners or limited participants in the parallel Energy Facilities Siting Board proceeding, raised questions about groundwater separation requirements, the adequacy of the stormwater design, the absence of fire-water containment, and the project's compliance with Tewksbury's Section 5.6 groundwater protection bylaw. Holmes confirmed under questioning that the stormwater system does not provide complete containment of fire-related water runoff, and applicant Tyler Winn acknowledged the batteries are classified as hazardous materials under Department of Transportation codes.