Planning Board closes battery storage hearing

Planning Board · Meeting of October 22, 2026

Groton's Planning Board voted 6-0 to close the public hearing on a battery energy storage project at 600 Cowpond Brook Road, conditioning approval on compliance with the town's newly adopted battery storage zoning bylaw. Vice Chair Paul Hathaway pressed applicant representative Patrick Donohue on fire-suppression specifics, saying it "would be a derogation of our responsibilities" to approve a project later found noncompliant. Member George Barringer asked whether the applicant had written confirmation from the MIT Haystack Observatory that emissions wouldn't interfere with its telescopes; none exists yet.

The board also heard the Community Preservation Committee faces roughly $1.8 million in preliminary funding requests against limited available revenue, and that the Destination Groton Committee secured a $60,000 state grant for rail-trail wayfinding signage. Minutes from August 13 passed 4-0 with one abstention.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,455 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of October 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.