List of power stations in New Jersey facts for kids
New Jersey is a state in the United States that needs a lot of electricity to power homes, schools, and businesses. This article tells you about the different types of power plants in New Jersey that make this electricity.
In 2023, New Jersey's power plants could make a total of 16,838 megawatts (MW) of electricity. They actually produced 64,228 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity that year. A gigawatt-hour is a huge amount of energy, enough to power many homes!
In 2024, New Jersey got its electricity from several sources:
- Almost half (49.6%) came from natural gas.
- Another large part (45%) came from nuclear power.
- A smaller amount (2.9%) came from solar power.
- Even smaller amounts came from biomass (1.1%), other gases (0.3%), and tiny bits from petroleum and wind power.
- About 1% came from other sources.
New Jersey wants to use more clean energy. In 2018, the state decided that 21% of its electricity should come from renewable energy sources by 2021. This goal increased to 35% by 2025 and 50% by 2030. In February 2023, the governor, Phil Murphy, set an even bigger goal: 100% clean electricity by 2035! This includes energy sources that don't produce pollution, even if they are not renewable.
Most of New Jersey's renewable energy comes from solar panels. About 75% of the state's renewable electricity in 2023 was from solar. Many people have solar panels on their homes (small-scale solar). These small solar setups added an extra 3,403 GWh of energy to the state's power grid in 2024. This was almost twice as much as the large solar farms produced!
Sources of New Jersey utility-scale electricity generation in gigawatt-hours, full-year 2024: Natural gas: (30514%) Nuclear: (27677%) Solar: (1787%) Biomass: (654%) Other gases: (164%) Petroleum: (33%) Wind: (19%) Other: (613%)
Types of Power Stations
New Jersey uses different kinds of power plants to make electricity. Let's look at them!
Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear power stations use the energy released from splitting atoms to create heat, which then makes steam to spin turbines and generate electricity. New Jersey has two main nuclear power plants, both run by PSEG Nuclear. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station stopped working on September 17, 2018.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station | Lower Alloways Creek | 1173 | 1986 |
Salem Nuclear Power Plant | Lower Alloways Creek | 2285 | 1977 (Unit I) 1981 (Unit II) |
Fossil Fuel Power Plants
Fossil fuels like natural gas and petroleum are burned to create heat, which makes steam to generate electricity.
Natural Gas Plants
Many power plants in New Jersey use natural gas. This is a common way to make electricity.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Bayonne Energy Center | Bayonne | 644 | 2012 |
Bergen Generating Station | Ridgefield | 1229 | 1957/1995 (part) 2002 (part) |
Burlington Generating Station | Burlington | 168 | 2000 |
Eagle Point Power Generation | Gloucester County | 244 | 1991/2016 |
Kearny Generating Station | South Kearny | 456 | Originally 1925 |
Linden Cogen Plant | Linden | 974 | 1989 |
Linden Generating Station | Linden | 1566 | 1995/2000 (part) 2006 (part) |
Newark Energy Center | Newark | 705 | 2015 |
Red Oak | Middlesex County | 823 | 2002 |
Sewaren Generating Station | Sewaren | 538 | 2018 |
Woodbridge Energy Center | Woodbridge | 725 | 2015 |
Petroleum Plants
Some plants use petroleum (oil) to make electricity, often for backup or smaller needs.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Bayville Central Facility | Bayville | 6.9 | 1988/2000 |
Gilbert | Hunterdon County | 150 | 1996 |
Salem Generating Station | Salem County | 38.4 | 1971 |
Renewable Power Plants
Renewable energy comes from natural sources that can be replaced, like sunlight or wind.
Biomass and Waste-to-Energy Plants
These plants use biomass (like plant material) or municipal solid waste (trash) to create energy. Burning waste can produce heat to make electricity.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Fuel Type | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic County Landfill | Atlantic County | 3.3 | Landfill gas | 2005 |
Camden County Resource Recovery Facility | Camden | 33.0 | Municipal solid waste | 1991 |
Essex County Resource Recovery Facility | Newark | 60.0 | Municipal solid waste | 1990 |
Ocean County Landfill | Ocean County | 13.8 | Landfill gas | 1997/2006 |
Union County Resource Recovery Facility | Rahway | 37.5 | Municipal solid waste | 1994 |
Hydroelectric Plants
Hydroelectric power uses the force of moving water, usually from a dam, to spin turbines and make electricity.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Great Falls (Passaic River) | Paterson | 10.95 | 1986 |
Passaic Valley Water Commission | Passaic County | 2.4 | 1935 |
Wind Farms
Wind farms use large wind turbines to capture the energy from wind and turn it into electricity.
Name | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Bayonne MUA | Bayonne | 1.5 | 2012 |
Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm | Atlantic City | 7.5 | 2005 |
Solar Power Plants
Solar power plants use solar panels (photovoltaic cells) to convert sunlight directly into electricity. New Jersey has many solar installations, both large and small. As of September 2024, there are over 90 large solar farms (over 5 MW) and many smaller ones.
Name | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Ben Moreell Solar Farm, Naval Weapons Station Earle | Tinton Falls | 28.5 | 2015 |
Berry Plastics | Phillipsburg | 13.1 | 2013 |
Fort Dix Landfill | Lakehurst | 16.5 | 2017 |
Holt Logistics Gloucester Terminal | Gloucester City | 10.1 | 2012 |
McGraw-Hill Companies | East Windsor | 14.1 | 2012 |
Mount Olive – Combe Fill North Landfill | Mount Olive Township | 25.6 | 2023 |
Pilesgrove Solar Farm | Pilesgrove Township | 19.9 | 2011 |
Six Flags Solar | Jackson Township | 23.5 | 2019 |
Tinton Falls Solar Farm | Tinton Falls | 19.9 | 2012 |
Toms River Merchant Solar | Toms River | 27.3 | 2021 |
Energy Storage Plants
Energy storage plants don't make electricity, but they store it so it can be used later when needed.
Battery Storage
Battery storage systems use large batteries to store electricity. This is useful for storing energy from renewable sources like solar, which only produce power when the sun is shining.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
ACUA Storage | Atlantic County | 1.0 | 2018 |
Plumsted 537 BESS | Ocean County | 19.8 | 2019 |
Stryker 22 BESS | Warren County | 19.8 | 2018 |
Pumped Storage
Pumped storage plants use water to store energy. They pump water uphill to a reservoir when electricity is cheap (like at night), and then let it flow downhill through turbines to make electricity when it's needed most.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Started Working |
---|---|---|---|
Yards Creek Generating Station | Blairstown & Hardwick | 420 | 1965 |
Plants That Have Stopped Working
Some power plants in New Jersey have been closed down over the years. This often happens as older plants are replaced by newer, more efficient, or cleaner energy sources.
Plant | Location | Capacity (MW) | Energy Source | Stopped Working |
---|---|---|---|---|
B.L. England Generating Station | Upper Township | 450 | Coal | May 1, 2019 |
Hudson Generating Station | Jersey City | 660 | Coal | May 31, 2017 |
Mercer Generating Station | Hamilton Township | 360 | Coal | May 31, 2017 |
Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station | Lacey Township | 652 | Nuclear | September 17, 2018 |
See also
- Wind power in New Jersey
- Solar power in New Jersey
- List of dams and reservoirs in New Jersey