The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has selected Elevate Renewables’ Garden State Reliability Project as part of the Garden State Energy Storage Program (GSESP).
The project, also known as Two Rivers Storage, is a 150-megawatt/600-megawatt hour battery storage facility that will be developed at the Bergen Generating Station in Ridgefield.
The Garden State Reliability Project will strengthen New Jersey’s electric grid and help address the region’s growing power supply challenges while supporting New Jersey ratepayers with affordable and flexible capacity during periods of peak electricity demand.
It will provide enough power for more than 100,000 New Jersey homes.
The GSESP, launched in 2025, is a multiphase program led by the NJPBU to deploy 2,000 MW of energy storage by 2030. It grew out of a two-year stakeholder engagement period that collected insights from industry experts, environmental organizations and the public about the increasing energy needs in the state.
In March 2026, the NJPBU approved several initiatives to expand solar and battery storage power that included a 3 GW expansion of the state’s Community Solar Energy Program. It was awarded three projects under the GSESP for transmission-level battery storage.
“The Garden State Reliability Project will deliver critical grid infrastructure for New Jersey at a time when the state urgently needs additional power supply,” said Joshua Rogol, chief executive officer of Elevate.
“Energy storage is one of the fastest and most effective ways to strengthen the grid and help stabilize electricity prices for customers. We’re proud to partner with the state to deliver a project that supports reliability, economic investment and responsible land use.”
Dispatchable battery storage charges when demand and prices are low and discharges when demand and prices are high. The NJBPU found that the program would improve affordability for New Jersey ratepayers.
By increasing available capacity on the system, the Garden State Reliability Project will help reduce upward pressure on electricity rates in the PJM capacity market.
“Energy storage is essential to strengthening New Jersey’s electric grid as electricity demand continues to grow,” said Senator Bob Smith, chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.
“Projects like the Garden State Reliability Project help ensure we have reliable and affordable power when it’s needed most. I’m pleased to see investment in infrastructure that improves grid reliability, supports ratepayers and makes best use of an existing industrial site.”
The project represents an approximately $200 million private investment in energy infrastructure in Bergen County. Construction is expected to create around 50 union jobs at peak, supporting skilled labor and economic activity in the region.
The project will also expand the local tax base, as Elevate is committed to working closely with local communities and partners throughout development and operation.
It will be developed at the existing Alpha Generation-managed 1.2-gigawatt Bergen Generating Station, a natural gas power plant in Bergen County that has been serving New Jersey for decades.
“As New Jersey works to modernize its energy system, we need practical solutions that improve reliability and affordability while managing rising electricity demand,” said Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, chairman of the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.
“Energy storage projects like the Garden State Reliability Project provide flexible resources that strengthen the grid and help stabilize costs for consumers. It’s also encouraging to see this project be developed at an existing power plant site, which allows us to expand critical infrastructure without using undeveloped land.”
By locating the project at an existing energy facility, Elevate will revitalize and help remediate portions of an active industrial site, utilize existing infrastructure and avoid development on new greenfield land.
