The solution to the Artificial Island transmission stability problem may be more costly than originally estimated, PJM officials said last week.

PJM planners, who received 26 proposed solutions with costs as high as $1.5 billion, have been concentrating their review on several proposals with estimated costs of $110 million to $270 million.

Vice President for Planning Steve Herling told the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee Thursday that addressing technical concerns stakeholders have raised about the proposals “could drive costs up.”

PJM’s Paul McGlynn said costs could be increased, for example, due to “the complexity that comes from working in a substation outside a nuke plant.” Artificial Island is home to the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants.

Officials gave TEAC members a briefing on the preliminary findings of the constructability review by the RTO’s engineering consultant.

Right of Way Concerns

The review found that the availability of land that Transource Energy proposed using in New Jersey “is in question.”

Proposals by LS Power and Virginia Electric and Power Co., in contrast, would require no additional land for expansion of the existing Salem substation. LS Power has acquired an option on a site for its proposed new switching station in Delaware.

The consultant also raised concerns about proposals that would cross or parallel Delaware Route 9, which is designated as a “Scenic and Historic” highway. Sharon Segner, of LS Power, said her company has obtained a legal opinion that Delaware law does not prohibit transmission lines near scenic highways.

Some proposals also could impact a wildlife refuge in New Jersey.

Artificial Island is PJM’s first competitive transmission project under FERC Order 1000.

McGlynn said planners are doing their best to conduct an “apples to apples” comparison of the proposals. “It’s proving to be more of a challenge than I originally thought,” he said, adding that planners still hope to recommend a solution to the PJM board by summer.