From The Jersey Sierran, July - September 2022
New Jersey will finally say goodbye to coal power. The state’s last two coal-fired power plants were scheduled to shutter around May 31. The Logan and Chambers plants are owned by Starwood Energy, which plans to decommission them and work with a clean energy developer to bring renewable energy projects to the sites. Both plants are along the Delaware River south of Camden.
The move from coal and fracked gas to renewable energy sources is a key objective for Sierra Club. Beyond Coal is the Club’s national campaign advocating the closure of coal-fired plants and their replacement with clean, renewable energy. We all suffer when coal is used to generate power, whether from toxic waste, destructive mining practices, pollution to our water and air from power plant discharges, or toxic dust from coal-carrying rail cars. Burning and transportation of coal is a social justice issue, as the neighborhoods that experience the worst pollution are often lower-income communities that are already overburdened with the effects of pollution.
In addition to the environmental benefits, the agreed-on settlement for closure of the Logan and Chambers plants will return nearly $30 million in energy bill savings to Atlantic City Electric ratepayers. “We are pleased to continue our focus on sustainable energy transition,” said Himanshu Saxena, CEO of Starwood Energy.
“This is a historic decision by the BPU,” said Greg Gorman, conservation chair of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club. “We’re thrilled that Starwood Energy is looking to directly transition to cleaner, cheaper renewable energy at these sites, ending nearly three decades of pollution in Carney’s Point and Penns Grove, historically overburdened communities on the Delaware River.”