EPA Superfund solar project built on the site of a former paper mill

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CEP Renewables, a solar developer with a penchant for building on brownfields and other difficult-to-develop locations, has completed phase II of a soon-to-be 24 MW solar installation on the site of the former Hughesville Paper Mill in the Township of Holland, New Jersey.

Following the completion of phase II, the project is now 16 MW in capacity, with the remaining 8 MW set to come in phase III. Construction on phase III is expected to begin in the 4th quarter of 2021.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated land and responding to environmental emergencies, oil spills and natural disasters.

Built in 1907, The Milford Paper Mill encompassed over 73 acres, but when it closed in 2003 only 21 acres could be built on. It was listed as a Superfund site in 2009 and the EPA conducted several elements of the site’s cleanup. The process included removing hazardous materials, storage tanks, oil-containing electrical equipment, asbestos, construction and demolition debris, concrete, scrap metal, and over 10,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil.

An hour North up route 182, CEP is developing another solar project on an EPA Superfund site: the 25.6 MW community solar installation on the site of the former Combe Fill North Landfill. Once complete, the project will be among the largest solar installations developed on a capped landfill in the nation. It is expected to provide clean power for over 4,000 homes. There is currently no public timetable for project development and construction.

New Jersey is the state with the highest number of Superfund and brownfield sites in the nation.

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