New Jersey is on the precipice of an energy revolution.

New Jersey has some of the most aggressive offshore wind goals in the nation – with a pledge to reach 11,000MW by 2040. In November 2020, building on that commitment, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) announced the creation of a first in the nation transmission only solicitation, to be developed through the State Agreement Approach in partnership with regional grid operator PJM. This coordinated approach to planned transmission will help create more cost-effective, efficient transmission solutions that minimize the environmental impacts of bringing wind energy ashore.

Now, PJM has officially opened the solicitation window for the submission of transmission projects to deliver offshore wind to New Jersey. At Anbaric, we developed Boardwalk Power Link, an integral part of New Jersey’s growing offshore wind industry.

 

Boardwalk Power Link: A Smart Investment in NJ’s Clean Energy Future

BPL is an HVDC line connecting offshore wind energy produced off the coast of New Jersey and coming onshore in Monmouth County. The energy will travel via buried HVDC cable, via a route that lies 90% in the public right-of-way, to a state of the art converter station to be built directly adjacent to the Deans 500KV Substation located in South Brunswick, New Jersey.

 

What Our Cable Looks Like

 

Middlesex & Monmouth Counties: The Optimal Locations

BPL is a 1200 MW HVDC line connecting offshore wind energy produced off the coast of New Jersey and coming onshore in Monmouth County. The energy will travel via buried HVDC cable, via a route that lies 90% in the public right-of-way, to a state-of-the-art converter station to be built directly adjacent to the Deans 500KV Substation located in South Brunswick, New Jersey. The Boardwalk Power Link is located in Middlesex County in the heart of New Jersey, in terms of both geography and population, and strategically connects into Deans 500KV Substation.

This location represents a significant advantage:

  • Largely avoids costly and divisive upgrades to the onshore grid
  • Lowers costs, increases predictability

Fully Designed with Permitting Advantages

Through years of planning and investment, Anbaric has developed a project that is at the cusp of being construction ready, with permitting well underway.

Anbaric currently controls every necessary parcel of real estate to move this project forward in South Brunswick and on the coast.
This includes properties at both ends of the converter station and nearly all necessary property easements
The large majority of the converter station to coast route exists in public right of way, and work with government partners is already underway

The entire 20.9 mile BPL route was tactically designed to minimal alteration of terrestrial wetlands along the route: only 521 square feet of isolated freshwater wetland will be permanently altered – that is fewer square feet than the average one bedroom apartment in New Jersey.

Anbaric has secured a DEP general permit for the land portion of the route, and are significantly advanced in the process of obtaining additional necessary environmental and other permits.

South Brunswick Converter Station

As a key component of BPL, a state-of-the-art Converter Station will be constructed on Anbaric property, adjacent to the Deans Substation. The Converter Station will use Voltage Source Converter-High Voltage Direct Current (VSC-HVDC) technology to convert offshore wind power from the coast of New Jersey from DC to AC.

Substation Rendering Property of Anbaric Development Partners

Substation Rendering Property of Anbaric Development Partners

Anbaric is committed to working with the South Brunswick community to ensure the building blends in with the surroundings and will not be visible from the roadway once sitework and landscaping is complete.

A sound level evaluation has been commissioned and completed, the South Brunswick substation will be engineered and constructed to have no sound impact as regulated by NJDEP and the Township of South Brunswick.

In addition, Boardwalk Power Link is also determined to operate with zero emissions once construction is completed, and construction related emissions will be negligible.

Commitment to Local Union Labor

Anbaric is committed to utilizing local New Jersey unionized labor in all applicable aspects of the development work, including Boardwalk Power Link project construction.

Support for Boardwalk Power Link

The following organizations support Anbaric’s Boardwalk Power Link: