'Greater use of scarce resources' | Anbaric chief calls for planned US grid straddling land and sea
Clarke Bruno says 'systematic approach' to development of regional on-and-offshore transmission networks will lead to 'fewer cables and fewer costs to the environment'
Clarke Bruno, the CEO of US grid developer Anbaric, has added his voice to an industry chorus that believes planning construction of future offshore wind transmission infrastructure off the eastern seaboard must be framed in the context of a shoreline-straddling grid that links together integrated regional power networks.
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“It’s a greater use of scarce resources, and results in fewer cables and fewer costs to the environment,” he said , adding that a planned offshore grid would be easier to balance, more sustainable, and cheaper in the long run.
“To unlock the benefits [the offshore wind industry] has been promising, it is necessary to truly build a grid instead of just a bunch of disconnected lead lines,” said Bruno, whose company recently refurbished the former coal-fired power plant at Brayton Point in the state of Massachusetts to take output from the giant Mayflower wind farm in the US Atlantic and is in the running to build the in-development offshore grid off New Jersey.
The SAA process allows states to incorporate policy goals as an equal to market efficiency or reliability, as is typical, when proposing grid upgrades.
“Providing a framework for implementing the SAA is a critical next step on the pathway for efficient offshore wind interconnection between the approved wind farms and the onshore grid,” said NJBPU president Joseph Fiordaliso.
“This agreement approach unlocks the potential for drastically minimizing community impacts, while saving money for New Jersey’s ratepayers.”
New Jersey takes 'another step'
“We are excited to take another step with New Jersey in the first-ever implementation of the SAA,” said Manu Asthana, CEO of PJM Interconnection. PJM and BPU can “select an optimised, comprehensive solution that maintains electric reliability while advancing the state’s energy policy goals”.
PJM and BPU got the go-ahead from FERC last year to begin the process and open up a request for proposals (RfP) on offshore wind-ready grid upgrades. Categories include the upgrade of existing onshore transmission facilities, the construction of new onshore and offshore infrastructure, and the creation of a grid at sea.
The bids could be for any single or multiple categories, with the state retaining the right to move forward with any project and to mix-and-match proposals from several developers.
PJM/BPU has requested that FERC issue a ruling on whether to approve the filing on 15 April.
FERC’s approval of the filing will formalise what has been an ongoing dive into the bids to determine which – if any – projects go forward.
Permitting and regulatory hurdles
Transmission projects face permitting and regulatory hurdles similar to those confronting offshore wind as well as some historic local opposition in general, and constructability will be a major factor in the PJM/BPU’s decision-making process.
The offshore wind industry is following developments in New Jersey closely to work out how the process unfolds.
“To truly jump start an industry, we need to move from an incremental approach to a more systematic approach,” Anbaric's Bruno said.
Fiordaliso added: “New Jersey is once again leading the way on offshore wind.”
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