Montgomery Planning Board Clears Way for New Electric Substation

By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | August 11, 2026

The Montgomery Township Planning Board voted unanimously on Monday night to approve a major infrastructure project that officials say is vital for the region’s long-term power grid. Public Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) has been granted final site plan approval to construct a new Class H electric substation on a seven-acre parcel at 151 Trent Place in Belle Mead.

The project, which seeks to modernize the local energy network, is designed to relieve strain on the overloaded Sunnymeade and Mount Rose substations. Once operational, the new facility is expected to serve approximately 6,000 customers in the township, including critical infrastructure for the East Mountain Hospital and the Carrier Clinic. It also will have capacity for future expansion, according to PSEG representatives at the meeting.

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Above from top left: The seven-acre parcel at 151 Trent Place in Belle Mead that will contain the new substation; a rendering of the substation; the August 10 planning board meeting in action.

“PSEG certainly comes prepared,” said Planning Board Chairman Dave Campeas following the PSEG presentation. “I appreciate how closely you’ve worked with the town to do this. And I mean, look, this is a substation. It’s not a beautiful new park, but it’s something we all need, obviously for today and looking into the future.”

Planning Board Chairman Dave Campeas.

During the hearing, PSEG representatives characterized the facility as a "traffic interchange for electricity," emphasizing that the substation is necessary not only to support current demand but also to accommodate future growth, including increased electric vehicle usage and the addition of 35 megawatts of solar generation to the grid.

The facility is planned as an unmanned site, with PSEG employees scheduled to visit only about once a week for 20 to 45 minutes to conduct routine maintenance checks. Despite the automated nature of the site, PSEG emphasized that security is a priority. The station will be enclosed by a ten-foot-tall, anti-climb security fence and monitored by 24-hour remote surveillance cameras.

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The design process involved significant collaboration between the utility and the township, particularly regarding environmental and safety concerns. The applicant’s civil engineering team noted that the site plan was specifically oriented to avoid interference with existing wetland buffers. As part of the landscaping plan, PSEG committed to planting 264 trees around the perimeter to buffer the facility from residential areas, a measure the board’s professionals praised as a conservative approach to site development.

The approval also includes an agreement to install a new water line and fire hydrant along Trent Place. During the public comment portion of the meeting, a man who is currently building a home in the area, inquired about the potential for these new water lines to benefit nearby residents who currently rely on well water. PSEG officials indicated a willingness to work with the township’s fire officials to optimize the installation for the benefit of both the station and the neighborhood.

Construction is currently slated to begin in June 2027 and is expected to take approximately two and a half years to complete.

The five Montgomery Planning Board members present at the meeting — Mayor Neena Singh, Ibad Khan, Om Sharma, Anthony Glockler, and Dave Campeas — all voted yes to approve the application. The Planning Board needs five members for a quorum. The planning board has nine members and two alternates. 

Mayor Neena Singh, who voted in favor of the application, underscored the necessity of the project despite the local impacts. “It benefits the residents,” the mayor said. “And we know we all need electricity at least for the near future”

The board’s approval is subject to PSEG’s compliance with comments provided by the board’s consultants in their review memos, including refinements to signage and lighting details. PSEG will now proceed with securing outside agency approvals, including permits from the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, before work can begin.