Tewksbury Board of Health Authorizes Filings on Hillman Battery Storage Siting Case

TEWKSBURY — January 22, 2026 — Tewksbury's Board of Health voted unanimously to prepare two formal comment submissions to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board over the proposed Hillman battery storage facility. Meeting via Microsoft Teams on January 22, the five-member board authorized Chair Melissa Braga and Health Director Shannon Gillis to compile members' concerns and file a response to a 33-page intervener motion — due January 27 — arguing the EFSB cannot waive Section 5.6 of the town's zoning bylaw, which members described as the local implementation of Safe Drinking Water Act protections for a Zone 2 groundwater area. The interveners' motion notes the current design would render roughly 36 percent of the parcel impervious, more than double the bylaw's 15 percent limit. The board also voted unanimously to submit questions on the EFSB's third information request to Hillman — which asked the applicant to compare the site with rejected alternatives in proximity to sensitive receptors — by January 29, ahead of a February 4 filing deadline. Members cited unresolved containment questions, hazardous materials handling, and the absence of enforceable stormwater and drinking water protocols as their core concerns.