Anbaric Submits Proposals to Deliver Offshore Wind and Create Ocean Transmission Network to Accelerate Job Growth and Unleash Infrastructure Investment
Bids Are Submitted in Response to Governor Murphy’s First-in-the-Nation Solicitation for Offshore Wind Transmission, Another Step Toward Achieving New Jersey’s Clean Energy Goals
Anbaric Development Partners, a leading developer of electric transmission projects and the primary advocate for a transmission-first approach to offshore wind, today submitted to PJM a portfolio of 19 projects – the Boardwalk Power Link projects – to deliver offshore wind into New Jersey, including a transmission network that will maximize the delivery of offshore wind into the grid. PJM is conducting this procurement on behalf of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). Anbaric partnered in its submission with Ferreira Construction, a seasoned New Jersey utility and civil contractor, and Anbaric’s investor, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers’).
Anbaric’s portfolio of projects defines a new era for the offshore wind industry: planned transmission systems, open equally to all offshore wind generators, maximizing the use of scarce connection points on the grid, minimizing impacts on the environment and coastal communities, while stimulating competition in the industry and boosting the efficiency of our grid. The portfolio of projects includes a range of project scopes and capabilities, including large scale, networked transmission systems that can integrate thousands of MWs of offshore wind and power several million homes with clean energy. These proposed transmission systems will accelerate the growth of the industry and create significant clean energy jobs. Anbaric’s bids also respond to the goals set out by the NJBPU related to ratepayer impact by providing an aggressive return on equity (ROE), which declines with cost or schedule overruns, capped equity, and include firm cost caps to provide additional ratepayer protections.
With these proposals, Anbaric is ready to deliver highly feasible, efficient, scalable industry-leading solutions to the transmission needs of New Jersey. These solutions solve both on-shore and in-water transmission challenges but do so in a way that minimizes environmental impact, maximizes the capacity of three existing onshore substations, and ultimately provides the state with a system that meets today’s transmission needs, but can expand to accommodate future offshore wind resources, with a resilient and redundant networked system.
The portfolio of projects that Anbaric is proposing utilize 400kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission. This technology allows for a single cable bundle to be used to transmit the power that would otherwise require four AC cables and lead to greater costs, routing, environmental and permitting challenges. This system also allows more power to be transmitted at longer distances with far fewer losses and adds to power grid reliability by providing power flow control and significant reactive power that can help wind replace the grid services that traditional fossil power plants provided in the past. Sea platform locations allow for ready use by bidding offshore wind generators in future New Jersey offshore wind procurements, while increasing competition in such solicitations between generators who no longer are limited in their bid by their distance from shore. These projects also provide a transmission-first approach that gets transmission – often the bottleneck element of new project development – moving ahead of generation to ensure that renewable energy additions are not delayed.
Among its bids, Anbaric has included the Boardwalk Powerlink Project, which delivers up to 2800 MW of offshore wind to the Deans substation in South Brunswick, New Jersey. Anbaric has been developing this project for almost eight years and the project is largely designed and permitted, providing a shovel-ready project option.
“We are honored to participate in this remarkable procurement and to showcase the critical role transmission will play in New Jersey’s clean energy future,” said Janice Fuller, President, Mid-Atlantic for Anbaric. “This solicitation embodies Governor Murphy’s nation-leading commitment to scale the offshore wind industry while also achieving aggressive clean energy goals set forth by the Administration and boosting investment in the State. Anbaric’s suite of proposals present the lowest-cost, most efficient way to proceed with offshore wind transmission: an open-access, planned system modeled after successful systems already in operation in Europe that we have been advocating for here in New Jersey. If transmission infrastructure can reduce costs and fortify the grid in Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany, it can do that here.”
