On Friday, Queens, New York-based Rise Light & Power, which is owned by private equity energy and utilities investor LS Power Group announced plans to develop a large-scale renewable energy hub in New Jersey to deliver the state’s significant offshore wind resources to the electric grid in what it calls “an environmentally-responsible, efficient, and affordable way.”
The so-called Outerbridge Renewable Connector will be built on the site of the former E.H. Werner Power Station in South Amboy, and will serve as a central interconnection point for offshore wind farms to deliver clean energy to the New Jersey electric grid. Rise says ongoing remediation efforts at the site will also lead to the elimination of a once-contaminated brownfield site dating back to the 1930s. The 26-acre, industrially-zoned site was retired as a fossil-fueled power plant in 2015. The site features an existing substation and switchyard, rail and highway access, a pier with expansion potential, and unobstructed access to the Atlantic Ocean with 24 acres of submerged lands.
Rise formally submitted the Outerbridge Renewable Connector Plan to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and PJM Interconnection on Friday. The company describes the development as continuing its mission to transform aging energy infrastructure into clean energy hubs. Rise is already leading a similar energy transformation of New York City’s largest power plant, the Ravenswood Generating Station, to host several green infrastructure projects, including battery storage and renewable transmission solutions.
“Rise Light & Power is committed to helping New Jersey achieve its ambitious clean energy goals,” Rise CEO Clint Plummer said. “The state’s bold vision calls for a responsible, affordable solution to delivering offshore wind energy to the state electric grid. Outerbridge solves the challenge of finding appropriate and acceptable cable landing sites by using existing infrastructure that avoids siting transmission lines in sensitive areas like residential neighborhoods and recreational beaches.”
“Governor [Phil] Murphy positioned New Jersey as a leader in transitioning to clean energy and we are proud to play an integral part in his goal for the state to obtain 50 percent of its power from clean sources by 2030,” said South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry, who supports the project. “The Outerbridge Renewable Connector is the only project in our state that can deliver clean offshore wind to our residents without the controversy of disturbing beaches and communities. Outerbridge is also a major economic generator for South Amboy that will create good-paying local jobs and support our community as a major taxpayer. This is the kind of partner and project South Amboy is proud to endorse.”
Rise says the Outerbridge proposal is a superior solution for delivering offshore wind energy to New Jersey electric customers because it enables offshore wind projects to avoid bringing high voltage power cables ashore at New Jersey’s beaches or other sensitive areas.
Once offshore wind energy is delivered to the new clean energy hub at South Amboy, Outerbridge would function as a giant extension cord, delivering clean energy to the local power grid through upgraded grid infrastructure on the site and to the Deans Substation through buried cables along an existing railroad right of way. A proposed battery energy-storage system could offer further reliability to the grid.
Rise says Outerbridge would generate power for up to 1.4 million homes and create over $1 billion in economic value to New Jersey, including nearly $88 million in tax revenue for state and local governments. Rise says it is committed to fund and implement programs to build the local economy and support workforce development, and that Outerbridge will accomplish this while minimizing costs and controversy and building confidence in New Jersey’s offshore wind systems.
“New Jersey has a nation-leading offshore wind program,” said Joe Esteves and David Nanus, co-heads of Private Equity at Rise owner LS Power. “Our Outerbridge proposal allows the state to achieve its offshore wind goals on schedule, cost-effectively and with the highest possible levels of public support. And it will demonstrate how a legacy power plant site can be transformed into a hub of clean energy.”
