Georgetown Boards Consider 3‑MW Battery Storage Project on Main Street

The Conservation Commission and Planning Board are considering a 3‑megawatt battery electrical storage system (BESS) at the former G. Mello Trash Disposal site on Main Street in Georgetown. The project is one of six BESS proposals by Virginia‑based Lightshift Energy; a 5‑MW Lightshift facility in Ipswich is under construction. The systems are designed to stabilize rising electricity prices by charging during low‑cost hours and discharging during high‑cost hours to share peak pricing. Mary Snow, manager of the Georgetown Light Department, estimated the project could save about $15 million in transmission and capacity costs over a 20‑year life and said it would put downward pressure on rates without promising bill reductions.

The Conservation Commission voted unanimously for an engineered peer review of Lightshift’s lithium iron battery. If approved, Lightshift plans to build the facility by 2028 on 42.5 acres now used by the highway department; the site would need a waiver because it is near two wetlands and a flood plain. The company proposes about 3,800 square feet of low‑impact stormwater features with wildflowers; the 6,300‑square‑foot BESS would sit inside a chain‑link fence with battery containers, transformers, inverters and related equipment, tied to the grid through the municipal light department via underground conduit and overhead lines, with access via the existing driveway and parking lot.

Residents across Main Street attended the meeting to hear details and raise concerns. Lisa Rando said she was very concerned; Stephen Rando asked about a noise study and a hazard mitigation plan with the Georgetown Fire Department. Mary Snow said Lightshift has conducted a noise‑impact study. Stephen Yaeger of Lightshift said the company is working with the fire department on a hazard mitigation plan and that temperature‑monitoring equipment noise fades after about 100 to 200 feet. Lightshift says it has no documented accidents or safety incidents. The briefing noted a nearby Vermont project was temporarily paused over fire and water‑contamination concerns before a fire chief deemed the risk low and approved it, while Braintree declined a BESS when its fire chief judged the risk too high.