NEWS & RESOURCES

NJ pitches faster, cheaper way to bring power from offshore wind farms

by | May 2, 2023 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

NJ pitches faster, cheaper way to bring power from offshore wind farms

State tries a second time for a regional approach to building — and paying for — transmission lines

New Jersey is taking another look at how to bring power ashore from the offshore wind farms it plans to build, once again adopting an approach it says is the most cost-effective way to deliver that electricity to customers. 

For the second time, the state aims to join the nation’s largest grid operator in soliciting bids to build transmission lines to accommodate an emerging offshore wind industry. The goal is to minimize environmental harm and costs to consumers. 

As part of that process, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities staff has been directed to accelerate discussions with other states also developing offshore wind capacity to jointly look at regional transmission solutions. Such a move would divvy up the cost of bringing power ashore among several states, instead of falling only on New Jersey ratepayers. 

It is a significant issue since the cost of building underwater power lines and offshore wind substations to bring power from more than 20 miles out in the ocean is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. 

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