Saugus residents say the news hit them out of nowhere this week, when they learned Revere is weighing a large lithium-ion battery storage site along the North Revere–Saugus line near Muzzy Street. Neighbors have been telling town officials they are worried about fires, toxic smoke and around-the-clock cooling-fan noise, and they also fear local firefighters would be first on scene without specialized gear.
According to Boston 25 News, Revere officials say they are working with Flatiron Energy on plans for an industrial-scale battery park off Route 1, and that Mayor Patrick Keefe and Revere fire leadership back continued study and training. City leaders told the council they have spent months looking at similar facilities and say they want strict standards for safety and emergency response.
Neighbors Say They Were Kept in the Dark
Saugus Town Meeting member Robert Camuso told selectmen that residents in the Muzzy Street neighborhood only recently found out about the proposal and quickly began contacting him about public safety and property values. He warned that the parcel, known locally as the Caddy Farm area, would sit closer to homes in Saugus than to many neighborhoods in Revere, and he argued that Saugus firefighters could end up first on scene without the gear needed for lithium-ion fires. Reporting from The Daily Item quotes residents worried about fumes, constant fan noise and evacuation scenarios.
Council Seeks a Fire-Safety Briefing
Revere’s city council voted to request a public briefing from the fire department so members can hear about training, equipment and response plans before any contract moves forward. Councillors also noted legal limits on local zoning authority, including references to the Dover Amendment, and said Flatiron has been invited to make a formal presentation. The motion and discussion were covered in local reporting by Advocate News.
Battery Projects Are Multiplying Across Massachusetts
Developers and municipal officials point out that large battery energy storage systems are being proposed and built across the state as utilities try to bolster grid reliability. Flatiron has pursued a storage project in Chelsea and closed financing for the Taft project in Uxbridge, illustrating the rapid pace of deployment around Boston. Coverage of the Chelsea plan and Flatiron’s financing announcements offers local context for what is being proposed in Revere and Saugus.
State Siting and Safety Questions
Some of the largest proposals in Massachusetts have landed before the state Energy Facilities Siting Board rather than only at the municipal level, and that process has become the focal point for jurisdiction and safety debates. The Medway Grid proposal and other filings show how the siting board and state reviews can shape outcomes and conditions, and national BESS incident reports have driven calls for clearer rules on emergency response and decommissioning. Documentation of the Medway proceeding and state materials outline how those reviews play out.
What Comes Next
Revere officials told reporters that any deal with Flatiron, if it does come together, would likely be three to five years away, and councilors have scheduled the requested fire-department briefing as the next public step. Residents in Saugus say they will keep pressing local and city leaders for more transparency and for clear plans that spell out who responds, what equipment is available and how neighboring towns would be protected.
