Public Comment Hearing
The Siting Board will conduct two public comment hearings, both with in-person and remote participation options on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 in
WAREHAM
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
12:00 p.m.
Wareham Town Hall
54 Marion Rd
Wareham, MA 02571
PLYMOUTH
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
7:00 p.m.
West Elementary School
170 Plympton Rd
Plymouth, MA 02360
Remote attendees: join by using this 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: 896-6638-5239
To provide oral comments during either public comment hearing (in person, on Zoom, or by telephone), notify Yonathan Mengesha at Yonathan.Mengesha@mass.gov or (617) 305-3544. Please provide your name, email address, mailing address, and docket number (“EFSB 25-02”) by noon on August 4, 2025. 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 Tuesday, August 19, 2025. 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. A petition to intervene or participate must be filed no later than Tuesday, August 19, 2025 and must follow the instructions below.
At each public comment hearing, Eversource will present an overview of the Project. Public officials and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and comment about the Project. The public comment hearings will be transcribed by a court reporter. Recording of the public comment hearings will be posted to the Siting Board’s YouTube channel.
The public comment hearings mark the beginning of a formal, state-level decision-making process focused on whether to approve the Project. Pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3, the Siting Board will determine whether to exempt the Project from zoning requirements of the Town of Plymouth and the Town of Wareham, based on whether the present or proposed use of the land or structures is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Wareham Public Comment Hearing | Tuesday, August 5 2025 at 12 p.m. |
| Plymouth Public Comment Hearing | Tuesday, August 5,2025 at 7 p.m. |
| Written Public Comment Deadline | Tuesday, August 19,2025 |
| Deadline to file for intervention or limited participant status | Tuesday, August 19, 2025 |
Project Information
Eversource asserts that the Project is needed for the Company to maintain a reliable electric power system and to enable distributed generation facilities to safety interconnect and operate. The Project, as well as other components of the Plymouth Area Distributed Energy Resource (“DER”) Projects, was part of a series of capital improvement programs (“CIP”) proposals that the Department of Public Utilities (“Department”) approved in 2024 under D.P.U. 22-52/D.P.U. 22-53/D.P.U. 22-54/D.P.U. 22-55.
West Pond Substation Expansion
The proposed expansion at West Pond Substation includes: (1) expanding the fenced Substation yard from approximately 0.8 acres to 2.5 acres to accommodate new equipment; (2) replacing two 50 megavolt ampere (“MVA”) transformers with three 75 MVA transformers, each with passive secondary containment; (3) installing a 115 kilovolt (“kV”) six-breaker ring bus; (4) replacing one 23 kV bus with metal clad, double-bus, double-breaker switchgear; (5) installing two new capacitor banks for a total of three (one existing capacitor bank will remain in place and one will be removed); (6) installing a 23 kV circuit breaker and associated disconnects; (7) installing a new relay and control enclosure (approximately 58 feet long, 26 feet wide, 14 feet tall); (8) installing new drainage structures, as appropriate; and (9) installing approximately 1,400 feet of galvanized chain link mesh fence of similar height to existing fence.
Tremont Substation Expansion
The proposed expansion at Tremont Substation includes: (1) expanding the fenced Substation yard from approximately 1.8 acres to 2.1 acres to accommodate the new equipment; (2) replacing one 28 MVA transformer and one 22.4 MVA transformer with three 75 MVA transformers, each with passive secondary containment; (3) replacing a 23 kV bus with two metal clad switchgear enclosures; (4) installing three new capacitor banks; and (5) installing approximately 150 feet of galvanized chain link mesh fence of similar height to existing fence.
Project Filing with EFSB
- Company's Petition
- Resident Outreach Information
- Information on Project Need
- Information on Project Alternatives
- Construction Description
- Description of West Pond Station Environmental Impacts
- Description of Tremont Substation Environmental Impacts
- Description of Cost Impact of Project
- Environmental Justice Considerations
- West Pond Substation Layout (Environmental Constraints)
- Tremont Substation Layout (Environmental Constraints)
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:
Instructions for Filing Written Comments and Requesting to Participate in the Proceeding
Written comments on the Project, or a petition to intervene or participate as a limited participant in this proceeding, must be sent to the following three email addresses: dpu.efiling@mass.gov; Donna.Sharkey@mass.gov; ckeuthen@keeganwerlin.com. The filing deadline is Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The text of the e-mail must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (EFSB 25-02); (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
The e-mail accompanying the request for limited participation or intervention must state and explain the way or ways in which the requester may be specifically and substantially affected by the Project; a limited participant request must describe the manner in which the petitioner is interested and the purpose for which participation is requested. For more information on the Siting Board’s procedural rules, please see this link.
Intervention and Participation
Persons or groups who wish to participate in the Siting Board proceeding, beyond providing comments at the public comment hearings or submitting written comments, may seek to intervene as a party or to participate as a limited participant.
“Intervenor” or “Party” Status: An intervenor can participate fully in the evidentiary phase of the proceeding, including participating in discovery (information gathering), participating in evidentiary hearings, filing a brief, presenting comments to the Siting Board on the Tentative Decision, and appealing the Final Decision.
“Limited Participant” Status: A limited participant receives documents during the proceeding and may file a brief and present comments regarding the Tentative Decision to the Siting Board.
Public Review of the Company’s Petitions
A detailed description of the Project, links to the Company’s petitions, attachments and analysis, and periodic updates are electronically available on the Siting Board’s webpage for the Project. In addition, electronic copies of the petitions and attachments have been provided to the Town of Plymouth and the Town of Wareham. Eversource also maintains a webpage for the Project.
Hard copies of Eversource’s petitions and attachments are available for public inspection at the following locations:
Boston
- Energy Facilities Siting Board, One South Station, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110
Plymouth
- Town Clerk, Town of Plymouth, 26 Court St., Plymouth, MA 02360
- Plymouth Public Library, 132 South St., Plymouth, MA 02360
Wareham
- Town Clerk, Town of Wareham, 54 Marion Rd., Wareham, MA 02571
- Wareham Free Library, 59 Marion Rd., Wareham, MA 02571
Contact
For further information about the proceeding, please contact the Hearing Officer at the address or telephone number below:
Donna Sharkey, Hearing Officer
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities
One South Station Boston, MA 02110
617-305-3625
donna.sharkey@mass.gov
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)
Accommodation Requests and 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 accommodation you need and why you need them. Provide contact information in case the Coordinator needs more information. Provide one week’s advance notice. 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, and at least seven days before the date of the public comment hearing.
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 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.