United States – Rise Light & Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the LS Power group, has unveiled plans for an innovative new renewable energy hub to connect New Jersey’s massive offshore wind resource to the state’s electric grid in an environmentally responsible, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Rise proposes to construct the Outerbridge Renewable Connector, an innovative method to simplify the transmission of renewable offshore wind energy to households and businesses in New Jersey. Rise has finalized the acquisition of the historic E.H. Werner Power Station site in South Amboy, New Jersey, with intentions to convert it into a renewable energy hub serving as a primary interconnection point for offshore wind farms delivering sustainable energy to the New Jersey electric grid. Rise’s ongoing cleanup activities will also result in the removal of a once-contaminated brownfield site dating back to the 1930s.
Converting aging infrastructure into renewable centers
Rise’s acquisition of the former Werner coal plant advances the company’s objective of transforming aging energy infrastructure into renewable energy centers. Rise is now working to transform New York City’s largest power plant, the Ravenswood Generating Station, into a clean energy hub for a variety of green infrastructure initiatives, including battery storage and renewable transmission solutions.
Rise submitted the innovative Outerbridge Renewable Connector plan to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and PJM Interconnection after months of consultations with elected leaders, policymakers, offshore wind developers, environmental advocates, labor, business, fishing interests, and other stakeholders.
Because it allows offshore wind projects to avoid bringing high voltage power cables ashore at New Jersey’s beaches or other sensitive regions, the Outerbridge plan offers a preferable method for providing offshore wind energy to New Jersey electric customers.
Instead, Rise recommends converting an industrial waterfront site, historically home to the E.H. Werner power plant of the Jersey Central Power & Light Company, into an excellent gateway for delivering power from offshore wind farms into New Jersey.
In 2015, the 26-acre industrially designated facility was decommissioned as a fossil-fueled power plant. The Raritan Bay location includes an existing substation and switchyard, rail and highway connectivity, a pier with development potential, and unrestricted access to the Atlantic Ocean via 24 acres of submerged lands.
Delivering clean energy to local power grid
Once offshore wind energy is delivered to South Amboy’s new clean energy hub, Outerbridge will act as a giant extension cord, delivering clean energy to the local power grid via upgraded grid infrastructure on the site and to the Deans Substation via buried cables along an existing railroad right of way. The power lines will be completely buried. A suggested battery energy-storage technology has the potential to improve grid resilience.
Outerbridge, by recycling the past to power the future, will be an important feature of the South Amboy waterfront, producing good-paying union employment throughout construction.
Outerbridge would provide electricity to up to 1.4 million homes and provide more than $1 billion in economic value for New Jersey, including almost $88 million in tax income for state and municipal governments. Furthermore, Rise is committed to funding and implementing projects to strengthen the local economy and assist workforce development. Outerbridge would achieve this while reducing costs and controversies and increasing trust in New Jersey’s offshore wind installations.
