The AWC announces offshore wind energy transmission project and selects Bechtel, Alstom to build historic project

he Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC), developer of the New Jersey Energy Link, the first offshore backbone electricity transmission system proposed in the United States, will announce Thursday that it has selected major construction and design firm Bechtel as its Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contractor and international power equipment supplier Alstom as its HVDC technical advisor for this first phase of the historic Atlantic Wind Connection project.

“We are building a landmark high-capacity transmission superhighway that will deliver offshore wind energy to New Jersey using the most advanced technology available today”

“Bechtel and Alstom are global leaders in the design and execution of complex power projects and both have successfully completed projects across the globe,” said Robert Mitchell, CEO of the Atlantic Wind Connection. “The quality of these industry leaders is a welcome addition to our team and they will play a significant role in the successful construction of the New Jersey Energy Link.”

The New Jersey Energy Link will be an offshore electrical transmission cable, buried under the ocean, linking energy resources and users in northern, central and southern New Jersey. The cable will span the length of New Jersey and when complete could carry 3,000MW of electricity. The New Jersey Energy Link is expected to be built in three phases over a decade. The New Jersey Energy Link is expected to begin construction in 2016 and the first phase to be in service in 2019.

Bechtel will serve as EPC contractor for the first phase of the New Jersey Energy Link and will engineer, design, and install onshore transmission lines and substations: two onshore convertor stations and one offshore converter station that will make up the New Jersey Energy Link backbone. Bechtel will also oversee the installation of advanced HVDC converter technology and high voltage DC cables to bring power from the offshore wind turbines to the onshore converter stations. The project will also improve the reliability of New Jersey’s power grid and help lower electricity prices by delivering both offshore wind and conventional electricity to where it is needed and when it is needed along the coast, whether that be southern, central or northern New Jersey.

“We are building a landmark high-capacity transmission superhighway that will deliver offshore wind energy to New Jersey using the most advanced technology available today,” said Toby Seay, president of Bechtel’s transmission business line. “Bechtel and Atlantic Wind Connection share a high commitment to hiring and training New Jersey workers for this project.”

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