Location of Lacey Township in Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station is located in the southern part of the township. The single-unit 636 MWe boiling water reactor power plant adjoins the Oyster Creek and is owned and operated by Exelon Corporation. It produced 9% of the state's electricity and is the nation's oldest operating nuclear power plant, having first been brought online on December 1, 1969, and is licensed to operate until April 9, 2029.[26] In 2010, Exelon announced that it would close the facility in 2019 as part of an agreement with the State of New Jersey under which the plant would be allowed to operate without cooling towers.[27] The plant, which had contributed a third of the township's budget through taxes, was closed in September 2018, after which a decommissioning process estimated to take eight years and cost $1.4 billion was to be undertaken.[28]
^Lacey Community ProfileArchived 2015-09-06 at the Wayback Machine, Ocean County Library. Accessed September 2, 2015. "In 1809, John Lacey, a Revolutionary War general, built Ferrago Forge---for his contribution to the growth and importance of the area, the township was named for him when it was incorporated in 1871."
^Staff. "Feds OK new license for NJ nuclear power plant", The Washington Times, April 1, 2009. Accessed December 26, 2012. "The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 3-1 on Wednesday to grant a new license to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township, N.J. It provides 9 percent of New Jersey's electricity. Oyster Creek and Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station in upstate New York both went online Dec. 1, 1969. But Oyster Creek is considered older because its initial license was granted first."
^"Exelon to shut NJ Oyster Creek reactor in 2019", Reuters, December 9, 2010. Accessed August 12, 2014. "Exelon Corp (EXC.N) will shut the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey in 2019, about 10 years before its license expires, in a deal with the state allowing the reactor to operate until then without building expensive cooling towers, the company said in a release late Wednesday.... The decision also delays any immediate economic impact on Lacey Township, where the plant is located, Exelon said, noting Oyster Creek is one of the largest employers in Ocean County, providing more than $70 million annually in wages for nearly 700 plant workers, property taxes and purchases of goods and services from New Jersey businesses."
^Davis, Mike. "Oyster Creek shut down: Lacey nuclear power plant, oldest in US, closed after 49 years", Asbury Park Press, September 17, 2018. Accessed September 30, 2018. "After over 49 years, the nuclear reactor at the Oyster Creek Generating Station was powered down on Monday, the final day in the life of the country's oldest commercial nuclear power plant.... Now, Oyster Creek's property taxes and energy tax receipts account for more than $13 million, over one third of the town's revenue.... Holtec will take over the process of decommissioning the plant and restoring it for future development, a process that Exelon has estimated will cost upward of $1.4 billion."