The review of proposed solutions to the Artificial Island transmission stability problem is taking longer than expected and the selection of the winner could be months away, PJM officials told the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee last week.
An engineering consultant has completed a preliminary constructability review of the 26 potential solutions, which range in cost from $100 million to $1.5 billion.
Eight proposals are among those considered favorites to win the bid, including five that would add a 17-mile 500kv line that parallels an existing 500kv line from Red Lion to Hope Creek.
Three other projects would cross the Delaware River to the Delmarva Peninsula with a 230kv line and run to a new substation or expanded Cedar Creek substation. Two of the proposals would run a submerged line in the river bed and the other would run the line above the water.
Much of the analysis has focused on combining the lower cost proposals with static VAR compensators to provide reactive support. Other factors being considered include the need to obtain right of way, environmental impacts, and the number of planned outages needed during construction.
The front-running proposals range in cost from $110 million to $270 million, and will take from 42 to 111 months. While the relatively modest cost of these projects is an attractive feature for PJM, Paul McGlynn, general manager of system planning, said there is still plenty of evaluation to be done.
“We have focused a lot of our attention on the lower cost projects, but I wouldn’t say others are off the table,” he said.
McGlynn said optimism that PJM staff could make a project recommendation to the PJM board in February has faded.
Artificial Island is the home of the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants in Hancocks Bridge, N.J. Five utilities and three independent developers made proposals in PJM’s first competitive transmission project under FERC Order 1000.
