Rise Light & Power and Delaware River Partners (DRP) have joined forces to build the first offshore wind cable production facility in New Jersey, USA. The building of the manufacturing facility at the Repauno Port & Rail Terminal in Greenwich Township is contingent on the Outerbridge Renewable Connector project being approved by the Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU).
Following approval, Rise and DRP will begin development and permitting work to prepare the site for shovel-ready construction and to recruit an offshore cable maker who will ultimately build and operate the facility.
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The proposed offshore wind cable production facility in New Jersey will have a footprint of roughly 30 acres and will produce both inter-array and export cables. It will also include dock access. According to the parties, with a demand for 800 to 1,000 miles of cable per year in the United States that is increasing, the addition of a new submarine cable production factory puts New Jersey as a crucial link in the offshore wind supply chain to address this growing demand.
“With a large investment to create good-paying jobs and become a national supply chain leader, this initiative will enhance New Jersey’s leadership in offshore wind,” said Clint Plummer, CEO of Rise Light & Power. “The Outerbridge Renewable Connector will refurbish and repurpose infrastructure in order to satisfy New Jersey’s ambitious clean energy targets.” We are very thrilled about our collaboration with Delaware River Partners.”
Proposal for the offshore wind cable production facility in New Jersey
Rise’s Outerbridge Renewable Connector project will see the nearly 100-year-old defunct coal-fired E.H. Werner power plant transformed into a renewable energy center for delivering offshore wind energy. The site is right on the coast, and it already has a substation and a high-voltage transmission link to the grid.
The proposal was submitted in response to PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM)‘s request, which was released in April 2021 and seeks qualified developers to submit potential transmission options that would help bring offshore wind energy to New Jersey’s existing power grid. NJBPU and PJM are now reviewing all submissions to determine which projects are capable of meeting the state’s offshore wind policy objectives.
As previously reported, Nexans opened its first high-voltage subsea cable plant in the United States in November of last year in Charleston, South Carolina. The factory produces subsea cables up to 525kV HVDC and 400kV HVAC, covering the entire spectrum of required goods for offshore wind and subsea interconnections.
