Legislation Signed to Expand Garden State Energy Storage Program

On Mar 25, 2026

Gov. Mikie Sherrill yesterday signed legislation that expands the Garden State Energy Storage Program. A4529/S3819(DeAngelo, Egan, Karabinchak/Smith, Buzichelli), modifies certain requirements for transmission-scale energy storage procurement under BPU incentive program.

The legislation will:

• Modify project maturity requirements in order to expand the number of projects eligible to receive incentive awards under the second segment of the transmission-scale GSESP, thereby increasing competition among bidders and protecting ratepayers from inflated pricing resulting from a supply-constrained solicitation pool.
• Extend the deadline, from June 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026, for BPU to approve the first and second segments of incentive awards for eligible transmission-scale energy storage systems under the GSESP. BPU estimates an additional 500 MW would be brought forward due to this change.

“By strengthening the Garden State Energy Storage Program, we’re cutting through unnecessary delays and opening the door to more competitive, cost‑effective storage projects that will help us meet our needs and build a cleaner, more reliable grid. I’m grateful to our partners in the Legislature for acting quickly to deliver this win for New Jersey’s energy future,” said Sherrill.

“By increasing our capacity for clean energy storage, we can work to ease our dependency on fossil fuel-burning plants,” said Senator Bob Smith (D-Middlesex/Somerset). “When there’s high demand, and not enough energy from solar or wind to go around, we end up turning to fossil fuels, ultimately harming our environment and driving up utility prices. Taking initiative to expand our energy storage capacity ensures that we can consistently rely on clean energy to power the grid.”

“Expanding battery storage is one of the more effective ways to increase New Jersey’s electricity capacity and to help lower prices for ratepayers,” said Senator John Burzichelli (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem). “This is a winning formula. Relaxing the requirements for storage facilities to connect to the grid is a productive step to increase our supply of renewable energy in the midst of a climate crisis while simultaneously tackling rising utility bills.”

This follows actions taken by the Sherrill administration to tackle rising energy costs and expand energy generation in New Jersey, including:

• Signing Executive Orders 1 and 2 on day one, freezing utility rate hikes and declaring a state of emergency to accelerate in-state energy generation.
• Approving six new energy projects within 45 days of taking office — three large-scale solar projects that will provide 24 MW of electricity, and three battery energy storage projects that will provide 355 MW of large-scale battery storage.
• Launching the next phase of the Garden State Energy Storage Program.
• Opening up 3,000 MW of community solar for new applications.
• Opening 300 MW of the Competitive Solar Incentive Program for new projects.

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