WENDELL — A group formed last year in opposition to a 105-megawatt battery storage facility proposed for the center of town is seeking the three-member Selectboard’s support of a bylaw it has crafted to try to regulate such projects.

No Assault & Batteries members virtually attended Wednesday night’s Selectboard meeting to pitch the proposed bylaw language and rail against Lowell-based New Leaf Energy’s idea for an industrial-size lithium-ion battery storage project at 68 Wendell Depot Road.

“This project is just so inappropriate, even if it worked and wasn’t incredibly dangerous,” Anna Gyorgy said. “We would like to go forward with this bylaw. It gives us the opportunity to really talk with the town ... to really confront what a project of this size could mean.”

Because of the noise disruption to wildlife, the Wendell Conservation Commission refused to permit the project, which has been in development since 2020. However, in January 2023, New Leaf applied to the state Department of Public Utilities for a permit to proceed. According to New Leaf Energy’s project website, it is sited adjacent to existing electrical infrastructure and is an optimal location for new energy infrastructure.

The Selectboard moved up the agenda item pertaining to the proposed bylaw on Wednesday at the request of resident Nina Keller. Selectboard members said they will further discuss the topic and decide what they want to do.

The proposed bylaw, which would have to be approved by voters at a Town Meeting, lists various definitions, licensing requirements and safety regulations. A Battery Energy Storage System, or BESS, would be defined as “an Energy Storage System that uses rechargeable batteries, which harness reversible electrochemical processes to store electrical energy using any battery chemistry, including lithium ion, lithium iron phosphate and many others.” A BESS is a stationary installation that may receive electrical energy to be stored directly from a generating facility, or from the electrical grid, or both. It must include rechargeable batteries and any related equipment or structures.

Under the bylaw, the Selectboard would be designated as voting members of a Licensing Board, which would convene to review applications submitted for a battery energy storage system license. The voting members would act as the granting authority for licenses. This seven-member board would have one member each appointed by the Conservation Commission, Board of Health, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Energy Committee, Municipal Light Board and Finance Committee.

The Selectboard would designate one person to oversee and coordinate the Licensing Board’s application review process.

The bylaw would require any applicant to have proof of $100 million in liability insurance to cover loss or damage to people and structures caused by the use or failure of any BESS facility. This would include coverage for fires, explosions and flooding events.

Gyorgy said her group would appreciate the Selectboard taking a stance on the bylaw and the project.

For the group to spread its advocacy to the state level, Selectboard Vice Chair Gillian Budine suggested attending some of the state Department of Public Utilities’ upcoming “road shows.”

“Maybe you should go on the road — because they want to hear from the public,” Budine said.

Department of Public Utilities events are slated for Boston on March 27, Salem on May 29, Pittsfield on July 24 and Quincy on Sept. 25.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.