CEP Renewables, NJR Clean Energy Ventures, and CS Energy have completed a 19 MW DC Foul Rift solar project located in Whitetown, Warren County, New Jersey. The project is built on a severely damaged brownfield, which has been the location of composting facilities for nearly 30 years.

Chris Ichter, Executive Vice President of CEP, stated, "This project demonstrates New Jersey's strong policy support for brownfield and landfill solar projects, as well as the power to develop grid connected solar power plants to repair environmental damage that would otherwise remain unresolved. We can leverage our previous experience in challenging brownfield and landfill solar projects to establish an effective public-private partnership with the town of White, which will have a positive impact on future generations

Prior to its closure, the factory had received multiple environmental violations penalties from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). When CEP first encountered the property, it had already been contaminated by the activities of composting facilities. An environmental survey has shown that soil is contaminated with metals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and arsenic, and requires institutional control.

The investigation found a total of 92 different environmental violation notices issued by NJDEP. In order to make the site comply with regulations, CEP cleared the remaining compost embankment and waste, and negotiated with NJDEP to sign a pre order administrative consent order to effectively address the remaining violations and terminate the solid waste permit. CEP has repaired the environmental damage on site, while also providing reliable clean energy, pollinator habitats, and more tax revenue for the local community.

Similar to CEP's Mount Olive and BEMS landfill solar projects, the Foul Rift project was also obtained through redevelopment and tax lien redemption processes, a method unprecedented before the Mount Olive project. CEP has resolved the multi million dollar tax lien issue arising from the website's public-private partnership with the town of White, which involved CEP obtaining tax liens from the town, repaying all overdue taxes, and canceling the redemption rights of the property. CEP is now the owner of the site, and White Town has been able to recover approximately thirty years of interest and tax payments.

The Foul Rift project not only turned an environmentally hazardous site into a revenue generating asset, but also helped New Jersey maintain its ranking as the state with the highest solar installed capacity per square mile in the United States.