New Jersey BPU extends zero emission certificates for state’s three nuclear plants

The Zero Emission Certificates (ZECs) for New Jersey’s three nuclear power plants, Hope Creek and Salem 1 and 2, have been extended for an additional three years by a unanimous vote of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

All three of the nuclear plants are owned by the Public Service Enterprise Group, or PSEG.

“We are pleased with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ unanimous decision to extend the ZECs at the current rate to help support New Jersey’s largest supply of carbon-free electricity. The BPU’s actions today helped the environment, saved jobs, and avoided higher energy costs. We appreciate the BPU’s detailed review and consideration of PSEG Nuclear’s ZEC applications,” PSEG officials said.

The New Jersey Legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy enacted legislation in 2018 that established a Zero Emission Certificate program to preserve nuclear plants, which provide more than 90 percent of the state’s carbon-free electricity. In the state’s Energy Master Plan and the Department of Environmental Protection’s Global Warming Response Act 80×50 report, the goal is to preserve nuclear generating resources into the 2050s to meet the state’s 100 percent clean energy goals.

PSEG, headquartered in Newark, also owns Public Service Electric and Gas, PSEG Power, and PSEG Long Island.