Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Residents of Allston-Brighton are concerned about a potential new battery storage facility in development at the heart of their neighborhood.
Flatiron Energy submitted the proposed plan to build a two-story lithium-ion battery storage facility at 35 Electric Avenue, which is near local transmission lines and an Eversource substation. The facility would span nearly 123,377 square feet, including offices and storage spaces for huge racks of lithium-ion batteries stacked on top of each other.
District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon represents the Allston-Brighton neighborhood and told WBZ NewsRadio that residents are concerned about potential health impacts and fire safety as the facility will be right next to homes, especially “in light of what happened in Moss Landing in California.”
That’s where the largest lithium-ion battery facility in the world is located and went up in flames earlier this year. Burning for days, the fire evacuated more than a thousand residents, shut down schools, and raised health concerns of lingering toxic metal in the air. The cleanup is still ongoing.
“Many stated they are not opposed to this technology, but they are opposed to the sighting,” Breadon said.
In a statement to WBZ NewsRadio, Brett Cullen, Chief Development Officer at Flatiron Energy, said safety is their “highest priority” and this project is needed more than ever amid President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs on Canada.
“New England begins to struggle with inflationary trends and feel the impacts of the recent 30% tariffs on Canadian electricity imports, battery energy storage will also be critical to maintaining competitive electric rates,” he said.
He added that this project aims “to exceed all applicable international design standards," whereas the Moss Landing’s facilities were built before those standards were put in place.
“Given the rapid pace of standards development over the past six years, comparing this project to a project like Moss Landing is akin to comparing the safety of a car in the 1960s to a car built today,” Cullen explained.
Breadon added that talks for several more renewable energy sites in Boston are in the works, with “the number of 10 or 11 have been mentioned.”
Meanwhile, Flatiron Energy’s battery facility is still under review by the city’s Planning Department. If it gets the green light, it will begin storing power starting 2028.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.