Former New Jersey Paper Mill site converted from brownfield to 17-MW Solar farm

Feb. 22, 2023
The site had already undergone remediation, was deed-restricted and covered with engineering control before CEP Renewables assumed control. The company was approached by the property owner, a firm that decommissions old industrial sites, to redevelop it

Energy firm CEP Renewables, in partnership with NJR Clean Energy Ventures and CS Energy, have transformed a contaminated brownfield into a 17-MW solar project in Holland, New Jersey.

The fixed-tilt solar array was built in two phases on the former site of a paper mill complex. According to CEP Renewables, the remediation and redevelopment of the underutilized space have resulted in a source of carbon-free, clean energy and improved tax revenue for the local municipality.

The site had already undergone remediation, was deed-restricted and covered with engineering control before CEP Renewables assumed control. CEP says its team further enhanced the existing engineering controls to ensure they were compatible with the solar redevelopment.

CS Energy and CEP Renewables overcame several challenges during the construction of the solar facility, including the permitting and building of a second phase of the project overlapping with the first. Additionally, the project had to be constructed around a historic farmhouse and powerhouse located on a portion of the property.   

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During the 1990’s, the former paper mill site was abandoned and fell into disrepair. CEP Renewables was approached by the property owner, a firm that decommissions former industrial sites, to redevelop the land. CEP’s team reviewed the entire environmental history and offered critical review and recommendations before the responsible party completed the remediation.

“We are glad to have had the opportunity to work alongside CEP Renewables on another impactful brownfield solar project,” said Michael Dillon, Director of Operations at CS Energy. “The completed redevelopment of this property now generates clean energy for the state and additional tax revenue for the local municipality.”

NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, acquired the Holland project from CEP Renewables in 2021, and now owns and operates 63 commercial solar projects throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York, with a portfolio of over 430 MW of installed capacity.      

Headquartered in New Jersey, CEP Renewables designs, develops, and builds grid-connected, utility-scale solar projects. 

About the Author

EnergyTech Staff

Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

He can be reached at [email protected]

EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

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