Public Comment Hearing May 2026
The Siting Board will conduct a public comment hearing with both in-person and remote participation options on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
In-person hearing location: Lawrence School Auditorium 113 Lakeview Avenue Falmouth, MA 02540
Remote attendees: join by using the available link.
For audio-only participation, attendees can dial in at (646) 558-8656 (not a toll-free number)] and then enter the Webinar ID: 868-8284-0994 ## (press # twice)
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 posted to 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 SitingBoard.Filing@mass.gov with the subject line “EFSB 25-11 SPEAKER SIGN UP”, and your name, email address, and mailing address in the body of your email by Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
To sign up by telephone, please leave a voicemail referencing “EFSB 25-11” at (617) 305-3544 with your name, telephone number, and mailing address by May 13, 2026. Pre-registered commenters will speak first, and others will speak afterwards.
The Siting Board also invites written comments on the Project. Written comments will be most useful to the Siting Board if submitted by Friday, May 29, 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 to intervene or participate must likewise be filed no later than Friday, May 29, 2026, and must follow the instructions below.
Important Dates
The Public Comment Hearing is Thursday, May 14, 2026
Deadline to file written comments is Friday, May 29, 2026
Deadline to file for intervention/limited participant status is Friday, May 29, 2026
Public Review of the Company's Petition
A description of the Project, links to the Company’s petition, attachments, analysis, and periodic updates are available via the Siting Board’s webpage. In addition, 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
Falmouth:
Town Clerk’s Office 59 Town Hall Square Falmouth, MA 02540
Falmouth Main Library 300 Main St. Falmouth, MA 02540
Falmouth East Branch Library 310 E Falmouth Hwy East Falmouth, MA 02536
Zoning Petition
The Siting Board will review the Zoning Petition to determine whether the zoning exemptions should be granted, and whether the proposed use of the new Substation is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public, pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3. A map of the Substation parcel is provided below; the Substation parcel is identified as “Falmouth Tap Switching Station.
Intervention & Participation
Persons or groups who wish to be involved in the Siting Board proceedings, 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 is 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 two 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 Donna.sharkey@mass.gov no later than the close of business on Friday, May 29, 2026.
The text of the e-mail must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (EFSB 25-11); (2) the name of the person or entity submitting the filing; and (3) a brief description of the document. The electronic filing 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., Keegan Werlin LLP, One Cranberry Hill, Suite 304, Lexington, MA 02421, ckeuthen@keeganwerlin.com
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 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).
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.
Project Information
On November 20, 2025, NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy
The Site consists of two Company-owned adjacent parcels of land numbered 228 and 280Sam Turner Road that together comprise approximately 12.7 acres. The Switching Station is located on a portion of the 228 Sam Turner Road parcel. The fenced yard of the Switching Station
is approximately 0.6 acres in size. Outside of the Switching Station fenced yard, the Site is comprised of forested areas and maintained transmission corridor.
The fenced yard of the new Substation will be approximately 2.6 acres in size and will straddle both parcels. In designing the Substation, the Company considered the equipment that must be installed, the working space needed around each piece of equipment, and the construction sequence. The size of the Substation yard is required to accommodate the safe installation of the new transmission and distribution equipment, while allowing for future operations and maintenance to be conducted safely. The Switching Station will be dismantled prior to constructing the Substation.
The Company will construct temporary switching facilities (“Temporary Switching Facilities”) on the Site to avoid interruption of switching service during construction. The Temporary Switching Facilities will include a single 115 kV circuit breaker on the Site slightly north of and adjacent to the existing Switching Station. The four 115 kV overhead transmission lines that connect to the Switching Station will be rerouted to the Temporary Switching Facilities, which will include transmission line and breaker failure relaying.
The following four temporary transmission structures will be constructed to reroute Lines #107 and #136 to the Temporary Switching Facilities: (1) on Line #107, three temporary structures with an average height of 83 feet; and (2) on Line #136, one temporary structure with an average height of 70 feet. The Temporary Switching Facilities will be dismantled, and temporary structures will be removed when the Substation begins operating.
Project Filing with EFSB
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:
Accomodation & Language Services Requests
Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (e.g., Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) are available upon request.
To request an accommodation, please contact:
Melixza Esenyie
Non-Discrimination Coordinator and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Human Resources, 9th Floor
100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114
eeadiversity@mass.gov, 617-626-1282
In your communication, state the accommodations you need and why you need them. Provide contact information in case the Coordinator needs more information. Provide your request as soon as possible. The Coordinator will consider but may not be able to fulfill late requests.
Language interpretation services are also available upon request to Yonathan Mengesha at (617) 305-3544 or yonathan.mengesha@mass.gov
Include in your request the language required and your contact information. To assist us in accommodating your request, please submit it as soon as possible.
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 by clicking the available link.
If you have any questions about this notice or any of the Siting Board’s non-discrimination programs, policies, or procedures, or believe the Siting Board has discriminated against you, you may contact Melixza Esenyie (see above for contact information) for more information.
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
For further information about the proceeding, please contact the Presiding Officer at the address or telephone number below:
Donna Sharkey, Presiding Officer Energy Facilities Siting Board
One South Station Boston, MA 02110
617-305-3625
Department of Public Utilities Siting Division
Online
Email Email Department of Public Utilities Siting Division at sitingboard.filing@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