Tewksbury Conservation Commission Continues Hillman Battery Storage Hearing to August

Conservation · Meeting of July 15, 2026

Tewksbury Conservation Commission continued a contested public hearing on a proposed 125-megawatt battery energy storage facility at 73-75 Hillman Street to its August 12 meeting, with the public hearing remaining open. Applicant representatives Tyler Wren of East Point Energy, civil engineer Frank Holmes of Langan Engineering, and wetland scientist Greg Hockmuth of Epsilon Associates presented a site plan showing proposed underground stormwater detention basins just inside the 100-foot wetland buffer zone and confirmed the sole bylaw waiver sought covers removal of existing debris from the 25-foot no-disturb zone on the roughly 4.3-acre site, which abuts the approximately 300-acre Great Swamp in a Zone 2 wellhead protection area. Attorney Christopher Senny, representing nearby property owners, asked the commission to impose three conditions including a three-foot separation between infiltration basins and seasonal high groundwater.

Residents questioned the adequacy of the peer review process, the town's consultant TEC issued 49 suggested improvements, and pressed Chair Steve Gove on whether the commission could compel the applicant to consolidate the battery storage notice of intent with a yet-to-be-filed National Grid transmission line application; Gove said he could not find language in the Wetlands Protection Act authorizing such consolidation but invited residents to submit statutory citations. The commission also unanimously approved five negative determinations of applicability for routine residential work, ratified two certificates of compliance, and continued three other pending applications.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report, 3,716 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.