TRENTON — New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his administration are pushing forward with their latest clean energy proposal: A massive solar farm floating in the water of a North Jersey reservoir that provides drinking water.
What could go wrong?
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Wednesday approved a long-sought waiver allowing the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission and Nexamp Solar, LLC to move forward with a 10-megawatt floating solar installation on the Wanaque Reservoir in Passaic County under the state’s Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) Program.
The approval, issued under Docket No. QW25040187, grants an exemption to the state’s prohibition on solar development in the Highlands Preservation Area, following updated documentation, agency consultations, and conditional support from both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Highlands Council.
One outspoken government watchdog account on X warned of potentional problems with the plan.
“Stop trying to build solar panels everywhere NJ! State officials have granted waiver for a floating solar project on the Wanaque Reservoir that will roughly 20 acres of the reservoir’s surface This sounds like a terrible idea, what happens when the panels are damaged and contaminate the reservoir,” said Wake Up New Jersey on X.
The proposed project will include two floating solar arrays totaling approximately 20 acres, anchored on the surface of the 2,310-acre Wanaque Reservoir. One array will support onsite energy for the NJDWSC, while the second will serve up to 1,000 community solar subscribers — including 51% low- and moderate-income households — under a net-metered system.
The BPU originally denied a waiver for the project in January due to incomplete information, but the applicants submitted a renewed petition in April after addressing regulatory and environmental concerns.
“The NJDEP recommends that the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission and Nexamp be granted a waiver to participate in the CSI program solicitation,” NJDEP Director David Pepe wrote in a May 15 letter to the Board.
The Highlands Council also affirmed its conditional approval, originally issued in 2021, provided that the applicants submit final replanting, restoration, and monitoring plans and meet specific permit conditions related to endangered species, forest disturbance, and reservoir infrastructure.
According to the NJDEP, the project must still obtain multiple permits, including a Flood Hazard Area Permit with Hardship Exemption, a Freshwater Wetlands Individual Permit, and others related to construction-related dewatering and historic district review.
The BPU emphasized that the waiver does not constitute final project approval and directed that all requirements from NJDEP and the Highlands Council must be satisfied before post-construction certification is issued.
The decision allows the applicants to participate in the third CSI solicitation, which closed to bids on July 23.
New Jersey regulators greenlighted a floating solar project on protected reservoir lands after environmental agencies reversed earlier objections.
