Massachusetts just gave the green light to what will become one of the largest battery energy storage systems in the United States. Jupiter Power's Trimount project, a 700MW/2,800MWh facility in Everett, cleared its final regulatory hurdle on March 4 when the state's Energy Facilities Siting Board approved construction on a former ExxonMobil oil depot. On the same day, halfway around the world, New South Wales endorsed 16 energy projects worth AU$34.4 billion through its newly created Investment Delivery Authority. Both announcements signal that governments are accelerating battery storage approvals at a pace that would have seemed impossible two years ago. LFP battery modules of the type planned for Jupiter Power's Trimount project. Image: AI-generated Trimount: From Oil Depot to 2.8GWh Battery Hub The Trimount site in Everett, Massachusetts, spent decades as a petroleum tank farm. ExxonMobil shuttered the facility under an agreement that prohibited future fossil fuel storage, and real estate developer Davis Companies purchased the land with a commitment to environmental remediation. The site is described in state filings as "heavily contaminated with oil" and industrial chemicals from decades of operations. Jupiter Power's plan transforms this brownfield into a clean energy asset. The project will use Hithium's 5.015MWh BESS units , each built around lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. The containers will be arranged in a double-stacked configuration, paired with medium-voltage power stations and inverters. Two new substations and underground transmission lines will connect the system to Eversource Energy's Mystic Substation, a high-priority interconnection point where six separate battery storage projects totaling over 1.6GW are queued. Jupiter claims the project will deliver more than US$1 billion in investment to Everett, create hundreds of construction and operations jobs, increase annual tax revenues for the city and its public schools, and reduce local air pollution. For a community that has historically borne the environmental costs of fossil fuel infrastructure, the conversion carries real symbolic weight. Substations like these will connect Trimount to the regional grid through Eversource's Mystic interconnection point. Image: AI-generated Half a Billion in Credit Behind the Build Jupiter Power is not building Trimount on speculation. Earlier in 2026, the company closed a US$500 million senior secured green revolving loan and letter of credit facility to support its national project pipeline. That deal built on a US$225 million corporate credit facility secured in November 2024 from major retail banks. The financial backing reflects growing confidence from lenders that large-scale BESS projects can deliver predictable revenue. Grid-connected storage in ISO New England's market benefits from capacity payments, energy arbitrage during peak pricing periods, and ancillary services revenue. The Mystic Substation's location near Boston's dense load centers makes Trimount particularly well-positioned for congestion relief. Key Numbers: 700MW power capacity, 2,800MWh energy capacity (4-hour duration), Hithium LFP cells, US$500M+ in credit facilities, US$1B+ projected investment in Everett. Phase 1 of a Larger Waterfront Redevelopment Trimount is not a standalone energy project. It serves as phase 1 of the Everett Docklands Innovation District (EDID), a joint venture between Davis Companies and energy infrastructure firm Global Partners LP, operating as Everett LandCo. The battery facility will anchor a broader redevelopment of the waterfront that is expected to include commercial and mixed-use properties. This model, where battery storage serves as the economic catalyst for brownfield redevelopment, could become a template for other post-industrial sites across the Northeast. Former power plants, refineries, and fuel terminals often sit on grid-adjacent land with existing transmission infrastructure, making them natural candidates for storage conversion. Large-scale BESS installations require months of site preparation, remediation, and equipment staging. Image: AI-generated Australia's NSW Approves AU$34.4 Billion in Energy Projects While Jupiter Power cleared its Massachusetts hurdle, New South Wales took a different but equally aggressive approach. The state's new Investment Delivery Authority endorsed its first batch of 16 projects on March 4, covering wind farms, solar plants, battery storage, pumped hydro, and a clean energy precinct at the Port of Newcastle. The IDA was created to address a long-standing problem: coordination failures between government agencies had been delaying major infrastructure projects for years. NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the endorsed projects would deliver "more reliable and affordable power for NSW, and more jobs and investment right across the state, particularly in regional NSW." AU$34.4B Total endorsed investment 16 Projects fast-tracked 1.17GW BESS already contracted (prior tender) 12GWh Long-duration storage contracted Battery-specific approvals include Castle Group's projects in Liverpool and Penrith, Neoen Australia's Great Western Battery in Lithgow, and a wind-plus-battery development from Pottinger Renewables. The Lake Lyell pumped hydro project in Lithgow adds long-duration storage to the mix. These build on NSW's recent success in contracting six battery storage projects totaling 1.17GW/12GWh through Australia's biggest long-duration energy storage tender. NSW's approved projects span wind, solar, battery, and pumped hydro across regional communities. Image: AI-generated What Both Announcements Tell Us Massachusetts and New South Wales operate under different regulatory frameworks, different grid structures, and different political pressures. But both reached the same conclusion on the same day: battery storage approvals need to move faster. In Massachusetts, the EFSB's approval of a 2.8GWh project on a contaminated brownfield shows regulators are willing to greenlight very large storage installations when the economics and community benefits are clear. In NSW, the IDA's creation and immediate endorsement of AU$34.4 billion in projects shows a government willing to restructure its own bureaucracy to remove bottlenecks. The common thread is urgency. ISO New England faces growing peak demand and retiring thermal generation. NSW is staring at a capacity shortfall projected for 2033-34 and has directed its electricity infrastructure authority to begin firming tenders. Neither region can afford to wait years for permitting processes designed for a slower era of energy development. The Bottom Line: Two continents, one message. The regulatory gates for large-scale battery storage are opening wider and faster than at any point in the industry's history. Projects that clear permitting in 2026 will shape grid reliability for the next two decades. For battery manufacturers like Hithium, CATL, and BYD, these approvals represent confirmed demand at a scale that justifies continued factory expansion. For developers like Jupiter Power, Neoen, and Castle Group, the race is now about execution speed, not regulatory patience.