Bellingham Conservation Commission orders peer review of Pearl Street battery storage project

BELLINGHAM — July 8, 2026 — Bellingham Conservation Commission opened a public hearing on a proposed battery energy storage system adjacent to the Charles River and voted unanimously to require a peer review before any decision is made. Vice Chair Sam Hammond presided in the absence of Chair Mike, disclosing his dual membership on the Zoning Board of Appeals before proceeding. Tom Corbett of ZP Battery Devco and civil engineer Jack Deninger of O'Neal described a quarter-acre fenced installation on a town-owned brownfield site at 26 Pearl Street, featuring five lithium iron phosphate battery containers, a gravel access road, and a subsurface secondary containment system with a combined capacity of roughly 18,000 gallons designed to capture firewater during a thermal event. Neighbors Suzanne Domestico of 10 Pearl Street and Shri Prai of Franklin asked pointed questions about evacuation plans, downstream river contamination from gases and runoff, and whether the estimated 5,000-gallon firewater figure is adequately calculated. The hearing was continued to August 12. The commission also voted unanimously to approve a new continuation and information submittal policy including a streamlined tree removal process, ratified an emergency certification for beaver dam removal at Silver Lake Dam, and continued nine new Red Mill on the Charles subdivision lot filings to July 22.