Chicopee City Council discusses regulations for battery energy storage systems and data centers
The Chicopee City Council is actively working to define and regulate data centers within the city through a proposed ordinance amendment. This amendment aims to establish safeguards, delineate where data centers can be built, specify required permits, and ensure they do not strain municipal services like electricity and water. The process is still in the draft stage, involving multiple subcommittees and departments for review and public hearings.
The Chicopee City Council is engaged in a comprehensive effort to establish regulations for battery energy storage systems and data centers within the city. City Council President Frank Laflamme initiated an amendment to define and provide safeguards for renewable energy storage and battery energy storage facilities. This amendment has been referred to the Planning Department, Zoning Subcommittee, and Ordinance Subcommittee for public hearings and further review.
Simultaneously, City Councilor Bill Courchense proposed a separate ordinance amendment specifically addressing data centers. This amendment seeks to define data centers, specify permitted construction locations, outline different size categories, and mandate that data centers do not impose an "undue burden" on municipal services such as fire, police, water, sewer, and electric systems. The proposed ordinance suggests that low-impact data centers would require a special permit and be restricted to industrial districts.
The process for the data center ordinance is currently in a rough draft stage, having been referred to various departments and subcommittees for vetting and approval before potentially being submitted to the attorney general's office. While Councilor Sam Shumsky expressed concerns about the drafting process, advocating for experts in the Planning Department to lead, Councilors Laflamme and Courchense emphasized the importance of proactively establishing local regulations. This local initiative aligns with a recent executive order from Gov. Maura Healey, which aims to protect communities from irresponsible data center development by requiring local approval and adherence to state frameworks on clean energy and water resource protection. City Councilor Joe Pasternak, with 40 years of experience in the energy field, stressed the need for careful, purposeful, and watchful guidance in the city's approach to data center development.