Power Plants in New Jersey

New Jersey holds 18.2 gigawatts of generating capacity, ranking 30th among the 50 states and DC. Natural gas dominates the fleet at 68%, supplied by 51 plants, while nuclear contributes 20.1% from just two facilities. Solar accounts for 7.2% across 351 installations, hydro for 2.6%, and battery storage, other sources, and wind together make up the remainder. This is nameplate capacity — what the equipment could produce running flat out, not what it actually generated.

The largest single facility is PSEG Salem Generating Station, a nuclear plant with 3 units and 2,382 megawatts that came online in 1971. Linden Generating Station, a natural gas plant with 1,740 megawatts from 10 units operating since 1995, ranks second. Bergen Generating Station, another natural gas facility with 1,401 megawatts and 8 units dating to 1959, holds third place, followed by PSEG Hope Creek, a single-unit nuclear plant with 1,291 megawatts first online in 1986.

The fleet spans nearly a century. The oldest plant still listed came online in January 1935, while the newest, Esky Solar, entered service in August 2026. The state operates 431 of its 434 tracked plants. Plant counts include sub-megawatt backup generators, so the large number reflects equipment inventory rather than fleet size — capacity is the meaningful measure.