Oakham panel closes hearing on 180-megawatt battery project

Conservation · Meeting of July 23, 2026

Oakham Conservation Commission closes hearing on 180-megawatt battery project, sets August 13 decision deadline. Applicant representative Brian Benito confirmed Moraga Storage, LLC will not fold cleanup of the site's contaminated former salvage yard into the current filing, instead pursuing it under a separate permit later. Town-retained hydrologist Scott Horsley, former owner of the 70-employee Horsley Witten Group, called that approach "highly illogical" and recommended updated groundwater and stormwater modeling before construction.

The Notice of Intent covers 117,065 square feet of new impervious surface; civil engineer Derek Anderson of Arup said the project's design is 30 percent complete. One abutter said the applicant's shifting cleanup timeline "seems shady." The commission voted unanimously to close the hearing and will deliberate July 28, closed to public comment.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report, 2,914 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of July 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.