The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has selected developer and IPP Elevate Renewables’ 600MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for development in Ridgefield, New Jersey, US.
The 150MW/600GWh Garden State Reliability Project, also known as Two Rivers Storage, was selected as part of the Garden State Energy Storage Programme (GSESP) and will be developed at the Bergen Generating Station.
NJBPU approved the first phase of the GSESP in June 2025. It looks to deploy 2,000MW of energy storage by 2030, following a mandate established by the Clean Energy Act of 2018.
At that time, the NJBPU emphasised that the pace of ESS development is vital, since the state cannot construct “traditional” power plants within five years because of supply chain challenges.
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Earlier this month, NJBPU announced it had approved incentives for three BESS projects totalling 355MW under the first round of the GSESP. A second round of the GSESP was also initiated, inviting bids for an additional 645MW of storage capacity. Tranche 2 is available for standalone BESS projects as well as solar-plus-storage projects that do not qualify for other state incentive programmes.
According to Elevate Renewables, Garden State represents an estimated US$200 million private investment in energy infrastructure in Bergen County. During construction, approximately 50 union jobs are expected to be created at peak, supporting skilled labour and boosting economic activity in the area.
Additionally, the project will increase the local tax base, with Elevate claiming to collaborate closely with local communities and partners throughout both development and operation.
The Garden State Reliability Project will be built at the existing 1.2GW Bergen Generating Station in Bergen County, managed by Alpha Generation. Using an existing energy site allows Elevate to revitalise and remediate parts of an active industrial area, utilise existing infrastructure, and avoid development on new greenfield land.
In January, Elevate acquired Prospect Power Storage, a 150MW/600MWh standalone BESS in the PJM Interconnection. Situated in Rockingham County, near Northern Virginia’s “Data Centre Alley,” Prospect Power is under construction and expected to start operations in mid-2026.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration, along with a bipartisan group of governors, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, urged PJM to “temporarily overhaul its market rules to enhance grid reliability and lower electricity costs for American families and businesses by investing over US$15 billion in reliable baseload power generation.”
Data centre development is generally seen as the primary factor driving increased electricity demand in PJM. However, opinions differ on how best to handle the effects on energy supply and costs, prompting questions about the future evolution of market dynamics.
“The PJM response to the capacity shortfall that’s been going on for about a year now (is a specific reform with an immediate impact on accelerating storage deployment), but it’s really accelerated since the White House and all 13 governors signed this bipartisan letter to urge PJM to basically provide contracts with 15-year price certainty for new generation. The suite of processes currently underway is called the Critical Issue Fast Path (CIFP) on Large Load Additions. Really, the interesting one is the reliability backstop procurement.”
He continued, “This has been live as a process for about a month now. They’re trying to figure out, as they project forward the capacity shortfall, which is about 30GW by 2030, rising to about 55GW by 2035, how to provide contracts and run technology-neutral, cost-competitive procurements with locational signals and all of the right cost allocation that will be politically accepted. It’s a massive challenge for PJM to try and propose something here that everyone can accept to plug this capacity shortfall.”
Joshua Rogol, Chief Executive Officer of Elevate, said of the Garden State project, “The Garden State Energy Storage Programme helps unlock the private investment in the infrastructure the grid urgently needs. At the same time, projects like Garden State Reliability must succeed in the PJM competitive market, ensuring reliable infrastructure that provides real value and long-term protection for ratepayers.”
The Energy Storage Summit USA 2026 will be held from 24-25 March 2026, in Dallas, TX. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics like FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain. ESN Premium subscribers can get an exclusive discount on ticket prices. For complete information, visit the Energy Storage Summit USA website.
