Hadley Planning Board Continues Battery Storage Hearing, Demands Sound Study and Decommissioning Bond

Planning Board · Meeting of July 21, 2026

Hadley Planning Board continues hearing on proposed 5-megawatt battery storage facility over town aquifer. The board voted 5-0 on July 21 to continue the public hearing for ZP Battery DevCo's application to install a 5-megawatt energy storage system at 0 Breckenridge Road — a former gravel pit — to August 18, after board members identified several unresolved conditions including a decommissioning bond, a formal sound analysis, a written fire department assessment, and a protocol for submitting quarterly inspection reports to the DPW director. Project manager Tom Corbett acknowledged the decommissioning plan was not included in the 405-page application and said attorney James Savone, who appeared for ZP, confirmed a pretrial conference in the pending Dover Act appeal of the prior permit denial is expected within roughly three weeks.

Multiple Breckenridge Road residents challenged Corbett's assurances that 697-foot distances would render the system's fan noise inaudible, with Donna Karkle citing published specifications for the SunGrow MVS 3460 LSUS units showing operating noise between 65 and 75 decibels each. The board also voted 5-0 to approve a sign reface for True North Bank and to amend its senior housing special permit for 42 Middle Street to reflect DPW-requested waterline revisions on plans dated July 16, 2026.

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• Background and stakes
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Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.