Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Offshore power line planned for the Atlantic coast

By Kathie Zipp | December 22, 2010

Atlantic Wind Connection filed with federal energy regulators for permission to build a giant power transmission project in the Atlantic Ocean along the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coast to enable the region’s offshore wind potential. Announced in October, the project will stretch from New Jersey to Virginia and enable up to 6,000 MW of wind power that could be built out of sight from land, enough to serve about 1.9 million homes with carbon-free power.

Independent transmission company Trans-Elect is developing the project, expected to cost about $5 billion.  Mitchell said the companies hope to obtain the needed approvals and funding by 2013 so they can start construction. They hope to finish the first phase of construction in 2016 with the entire project complete by 2020.

The Mid-Atlantic region has more than 60,000 MW of offshore wind potential in the relatively shallow waters of the outer continental shelf, Trans-Elect said. The project could create thousands of jobs, spur economic growth, help states meet renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals, and reduce power congestion costs in the PJM power grid by injecting low priced power into higher priced locations, according to a study by economic consultant The Brattle Group.

Transmission Backbone

In addition, Brattle said the project could provide “substantial cost savings” when compared with the piecemeal development of individual wind farms interconnected via radial high voltage alternating current transmission links to the onshore grid. Atlantic Wind Connection will use High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology to create a transmission backbone that could connect several large wind farms to the onshore grid in multiple locations. And, Trans-Elect said the system could be expanded to accommodate more offshore wind energy as the industry develops further.

In addition to the filing on Monday with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Trans-Elect said it will also need approvals from the U.S. Department of Interior, other federal, state, regional and local regulators and regional power grid operator PJM. PJM operates the power grid and energy market serving 51 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The entire filing can be found online

-Reuters


Filed Under: Offshore wind
Tagged With: atlantic wind connection, Offshore power line planned for the Atlantic coast
 

About The Author

Kathie Zipp

Related Articles Read More >

US government allows Empire Wind offshore project to resume construction
Atlantic Offshore lease sale opens millions of acres to wind development
Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm
Construction starts on New York’s 924-MW Sunrise Wind offshore project
First monopile installed in Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight: Looking back at a year of Thrive with ZF Wind Power
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Browse the most current issue of Windpower Engineering & Development and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading wind power engineering magazine today.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe