New Jersey starts process for 3.5-GW offshore transmission solicitation

New Jersey has started the process for its second offshore wind transmission solicitation so that it can bring ashore the additional 3.5 GW of offshore wind generation under its revised offshore wind target.

The state now aims to reach 11 GW of offshore wind by 2040, an increase from its previous goal of 7.5 GW by 2035.

In 2020, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) asked for the 7.5-GW target to be included in the transmission planning process of the regional grid operator PJM Interconnection (PJM). This led to a competitive solicitation for transmission projects and the selection of the Larrabee Tri-Collector Solution proposed by Mid-Atlantic Offshore Development (MAOD), which is a joint venture of EDF Renewables-North America and Shell New Energies US, and Jersey Central Power & Light Company.

The board on Wednesday said that it has formally requested PJM to include New Jersey’s current 11-GW offshore wind goal into PJM’s Regional Transmission Expansion Planning (RTEP) using their State Agreement Approach (SAA). The state’s second use of the SAA, or State Agreement Approach 2.0, is expected to solicit proposals for the injection of 3.5 GW at the Deans 500 kV substation, which has been identified as suitable for this purpose, although transmission developers will be able to propose cost-effective alternative points of interconnection.

SAA 2.0 will have no impact on offshore wind projects that have been awarded or will be awarded up to a total of 7.5 GW. It will be used for new projects up to the new goal of 11 GW.

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