Fire officials brief Revere City Council on safety, risks of proposed battery storage facility; Saugus officials express concerns

Saugus Advocate Staff Report

Revere Fire Chief James Cullen and Captain Kevin O’Hara met with the City Council at their meeting this week to provide a public safety briefing regarding the proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) facility on Muzzey Street. The BESS is described as a large-scale industrial facility with lithium-ion battery units that would store electricity and discharge it during peak demand. The facility is expected to support the grid and store energy from solar installations.

Revere Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley requested the meeting with the chief to learn about emergency response considerations, fire suppression strategies, hazardous materials considerations, potential evacuation procedures, coordination with public safety agencies and any training, equipment or operational planning needed. In her motion, Kelley said, “The purpose of this presentation is to ensure that the City Council and the public have a clear understanding of the public safety preparedness and emergency response planning associated with a project of this magnitude.”

Several elected officials from Saugus attended the meeting to express their concerns about the project’s potential impact on Saugus residents living nearby.

“These facilities are starting to happen around the Commonwealth,” Mayor Patrick Keefe told the City Council.

Keefe said the city has not yet signed any formal agreement for the facility. “We wanted to make sure the Fire Department was fully on board and equipped with the necessary training and equipment. We want to make sure we’re mitigating all risks,” Keefe said.

Councillors believe the storage facility is protected by the state’s Dover Amendment, which limits how municipalities can use zoning regulations to block or restrict solar energy projects.

Cullen told the City Council that, due to the increased demand on the power grid, battery energy storage systems are being planned throughout Massachusetts. Similar facilities are planned for Saugus, Everett and Chelsea. Cullen said he met with officials from Flat Iron Energy, the company proposing the facility, to discuss fire suppression and necessary infrastructure improvements. According to Cullen, the facility will require a new water main for water delivery and accessibility to the entire site. He also said the department will need a high-powered apparatus.

Cullen said that the response to any hazardous materials will be the same as with other fires and Revere has a robust hazardous material response system. The Fire Department does not anticipate any need for evacuation. Several members of the department have already travelled to Nevada for emergency response training.

Captain Kevin O’Hara told the City Council that should a fire occur; residents should be at home with their windows closed. He said the fire department’s response will be to contain any fire to keep it from spreading and to let it burn out.

O’Hara said that he was initially against the facility but now seems convinced the city can safely manage it. “It’s not the greatest site and the company will come in and clean it up,” he said.

“We are the first city stepping up with this. Revere is going to set the standard for the state,” said O’Hara, who added that 15 to 20 percent of the country will have these systems.

Councillor-at-Large Kelley was not convinced. “These facilities are not in densely populated areas, or near protected areas like the marsh, or near a major highway. This specific location doesn’t seem to be a good fit,” she said.

Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri said that through his own research he had learned that the batteries in the storage facility are different from the batteries in electric vehicles. Silvestri seemed reassured that each battery has a separate container to prevent the spread of fire, and he was convinced by the fire department’s strategy to contain fires and let them burn out. Silvestri proposed placing water basins around the site to prevent contaminated water from flowing into the surrounding area.

Saugus Selectmen were at the meeting and spoke briefly about the project. They thanked Ward 1 Councillor James Mercurio for his proposal that Revere and Saugus be offered joint training since the facility will be on the Saugus/Revere border.

“I think you’ve alleviated the fears of some of the citizens, including me,” City Council President Anthony Zambuto told Cullen and O’Hara. “If I were king, I would stop this, but I’m not and we can’t. We have no say in this matter, but we have you to protect us.”

Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member Robert J. Camuso, Jr., one of several Saugus representatives who attended the meeting, expressed satisfaction in a post on his Saugus News & Views Facebook Page. “The meeting was very informative and to be honest the Revere board asked what Saugus needed to know to understand these battery parks better,” Camuso wrote.

“Some great ideas like sending Saugus firefighters in conjunction with Revere to learn better on attacking these fire situations. Overall, this meeting was much better than I previously thought it might be. Most Revere City Councilors saw us and came up and introduced themselves and acknowledged Saugus being present,” he said. “This is just the beginning of this with a lot more to come, it was great to see some Saugus residents attending in solidarity. Selectman Anthony Cogliano & Frank Fredrico along with town meeting Precinct 6 Elizabeth Marchese & myself representing Precinct 2 were the Saugus voices that spoke trying to show Saugus residents’ concerns in Revere which I believe this board considered & understood.”

Camuso said he’s still not a supporter of the project. “But seeing a no choice option the more educated residents get (especially including myself) the better the community will deal with this when they come online in our community,” he said.