Public Comment Hearing
The Siting Board will conduct a public comment hearing with both in-person and remote participation options on: Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 6:30 P.M.
Snow Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 6:30 P.M.
In-person hearing location: Blandford Town Hall 1 Russell Stage Rd. Blandford, MA 01008
Remote attendees: join by clicking (or entering) the available link from a computer, tablet, or smart device. For audio-only participation, attendees can dial-in at (646) 558-8656 (not a toll-free number) and then enter the Webinar ID: 829-0058-6470.
At the public comment hearing, the Company will present an overview of the Project. Public officials and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment on the Project. The public comment hearing will be transcribed by a court reporter. A recording of the public comment hearing will be available on the Siting Board’s YouTube channel after the hearing.
To provide oral comments during the public comment hearing (in person or on Zoom), please send an email to Yonathan.Mengesha@mass.gov with the subject line “EFSB 25-09 SPEAKER SIGN UP”, and your name, email address, and mailing address in the body of your email by noon, February 2, 2026 (or for Snow date by February 10, 2026).
To sign up by telephone, please leave a voicemail message referencing “EFSB 25-09” at (617) 305-3544 with your name, telephone number, and mailing address by noon, February 2, 2026 (or for Snow date by February 10, 2026). P
re-registered commenters will speak first, and other commenters afterward.
The Siting Board also invites written comments on the Project. Written comments will be most useful to the Siting Board if submitted by 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 18, 2026 (or for Snow date by 5:00 p.m., February 26, 2026). Persons or groups who wish to be involved in the Siting Board proceeding (beyond providing comments at the public comment hearing or in writing) may seek to intervene as a party or to participate as a limited participant. Any petition
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to intervene or participate must likewise be filed no later than 5:00 p.m., February 18, 2026 (or for Snow date by 5:00 p.m., February 26, 2026) and must follow the instructions below.
The full notice is now available at the following link.
Severe Weather Notification and Snow Date
In the event of severe weather, the Siting Board may postpone the public comment hearing. Any postponement will be announced on the Siting Board’s Project website (accessible via the URL link or QR code at the top of this notice’s first page). If the hearing is postponed, it will be rescheduled for the snow date of Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at the original location. The deadlines for submitting public comments and filing for intervention or limited participant status will be extended until Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Important Dates:
Public Comment Hearing
Planned: February 3, 2026
Snow Date: February 11, 2026
Deadline to file written comments
Planned: February 18, 2026
Alternate: February 26, 2026
Deadline to file for intervention/limited participant status
Planned: February 18, 2026
Alternative: February 26, 2026
Public Review of Company's Petition
A description of the Project, links to the Company’s petitions, attachments, and analysis, and periodic updates are available via the Siting Board’s webpage.
The Company maintains a webpage for the Project
Hard copies of the Company’s petitions, including all attachments, are available for public inspection at the following locations:
Boston
Energy Facilities Siting Board
One South Station, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Blandford
Town Clerk’s Office
1 Russell Stage Road
Blandford, MA 01008
Porter Memorial Library
87 Main Street
Blandford, MA 01008
Zoning Petition
The Company requests a comprehensive zoning exemption for the Project; the Company also requests the following individual zoning exemptions from the Town of Blandford Bylaw provisions: (1) substation use in an agricultural zoning district; (2) signs; (3) construction trailers; and (4) site plan review. The Siting Board will review the Zoning Petition to determine whether the zoning exemptions should be granted, and whether the proposed use of the Substation parcel, which includes the Substation and the surrounding yard, is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public, pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3.
Intervention & Participation
Persons or groups who wish to be involved in the Siting Board proceeding, beyond providing comments at the public comment hearing or submitting written comments, may seek either to intervene as a party or to participate as a limited participant.
“Intervenor” of “Party” Status: An intervenor can participate fully in the evidentiary phase of the proceeding, including the right to participate in evidentiary hearings, file a brief, and appeal the final order.
“Limited participant” status: A limited participant receives documents during the proceeding and may file a brief.
A petition to intervene must demonstrate that the petitioner may be substantially and specifically affected by this proceeding.
See below for filing instructions. For additional information on the Siting Board’s procedural rules, please see the available link.
Filing Instructions
Written comments on the Zoning Petition, or a petition to intervene or participate as a limited participant in this proceeding, must be filed in the following places:
First, the petition to intervene or participate, and comments, must be filed with the Siting Board in electronic format, by email or email attachment to dpu.efiling@mass.gov ; AND to connor.c.tarr@mass.gov no later than 5:00 p.m., February 18, 2026 (or for Snow date 5:00 p.m. February 26, 2026). The text of the email must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (EFSB 25-09); (2) the name of the person or entity submitting the filing; and (3) a brief description of the document.
The email should also include the name, title, and telephone number of a person to contact in the event of questions about the filing.
Second, the petition or comments must be sent electronically to counsel for the Company, Catherine J. Keuthen, Esq., and Cheryl A. Blaine, Esq., Keegan Werlin LLP, 1 Cranberry Hill, Suite 304, Lexington, MA 02421, ckeuthen@keeganwerlin.com and cblaine@keeganwerlin.com
Non-Discrimination Notice
The Siting Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, income, ethnicity, class, disability, religious creed or belief, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, English language proficiency, or ancestry in administration of its programs or activities. See the Siting Board’s Non-Discrimination Notice.
If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a Siting Board program or activity, you may contact Melixza Esenyie (identified above) to learn how and where to file a complaint of discrimination.
Accomodation Requests
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (e.g., Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) are available upon request.
To submit a request for an accommodation, please email Melixza Esenyie - Non-Discrimination Coordinator and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at, eeadiversity@mass.gov , or call 617-626-1282. In your communication, please include a description of the request in as much detail as possible and a way we can contact you if we need more information.
Please allow at least one week (7 days) advance notice. Last-minute requests will be accepted but we may be unable to fulfill the request.
Language interpretation services are available upon request. Include in your request the language required and a way to contact you if we need more information. Requests may be made at least one week in advance. It may not be possible to accommodate last-minute requests. Contact the Presiding Officer for more information (contact information below).
Project Information
On June 25th, 2025 NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy (“Eversource” or the “Company”) filed with the Energy Facilities Siting Board (“Siting Board”) a petition pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3 seeking individual and comprehensive zoning exemptions from the operation of the Zoning By-Laws, Town of Blandford (the “Zoning Petition”). The zoning exemptions are requested in connection with the expansion of Eversource’s Blandford Substation located at 79 North Blandford Road in Blandford. The Company states that the zoning exemptions are needed for the Company to maintain a reliable electric power system and to enable distributed generation facilities to safely interconnect and operate.
Project Description
The Company proposes to expand its existing Blandford Substation located on approximately 2.8 acres of Company owned land at 79 North Blandford Road in Blandford.
To accommodate the new and upgraded substation equipment, the fenced yard would be expanded from approximately 0.65 acres to 1.13 acres. Additionally, the Company would remove 4,000 square feet of trees.
The proposed expansion at Blandford Substation includes replacing a 30 megavolt-ampere (“MVA”) transformer and a 25 MVA transformer with two 62.5 MVA transformers; installing new foundations, trenching and conduits, a new 23 kilovolt (“kV”) switchgear enclosure, two new 115 kV circuit breakers in series, and a new galvanized chain link mesh fence of similar height to the existing fence; and constructing a new access driveway off of North Blandford Road. The Company states that the expansion would be conducted in phases to allow the Blandford Substation to remain in service during construction, and it anticipates that construction would last about 18 months.
According to the Company, the Project, at an estimated cost of $64.5 million, is needed for the timely and cost-effective development and interconnection of distributed generation, and to maintain a reliable electric power system. The Project is a component of the Company’s Capital Investment Project proposal, which the Department of Public Utilities approved, with certain modifications. See NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy, D.P.U. 22-52 (2024).
Project Filing with EFSB
- Company's Petition
All documents related filed in relation to a proceeding are posted to the DPU Fileroom. The Fileroom page for a proceeding represents the official record for that proceeding. The public can access the Fileroom page for this proceeding at the following link:
Useful Information
EFSB Siting and Permitting Reform Updates
For more detailed information on the Siting process: Energy Facilities Siting Board Handbook (updated 2019) | Guía para fijar la ubicación de instalaciones energéticas (2019)
Contact
Department of Public Utilities Siting Division
For further information about the proceeding, please contact the Presiding Officer at the address or telephone number below:
Connor Tarr, Presiding Officer
Energy Facilities Siting Board
One South Station
Boston, MA 02110
617-305-3625
Connor.Tarr@mass.gov
Phone
EFSB/DPU Siting Division Call Department of Public Utilities Siting Division, EFSB/DPU Siting Division at (617) 305-3525
DPU Main Call Department of Public Utilities Siting Division, DPU Main at (617) 305-3500
Address
Department of Public Utilities
1 South Station, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110