Alstom HVDC Technology to Power Americas First Offshore Energy Link

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The future of offshore windcoming soon to the Jersey Coast

The U.S. took a major step towards realizing the potential of its offshore wind resources today, as the Atlantic Wind Connection announced it has tapped engineering and construction firm Bechtel to build the initial segment of its first-ever offshore power transmission line using state-of-the-art Alstom HVDC technology.

Todays news focused on the New Jersey Energy Link, a power transmission line buried under the sea floor that would span the full length of the state. Once complete, it would not only lower energy prices for New Jersey customers by reducing congestion on the grid, but also provide a super-highway style backbone for connecting future offshore wind farms and integrating them into onshore power grids.

Mike Atkinson, President of Alstom Grid North America, marked the occasion at a press conference in New Jersey alongside executives from Bechtel and the Atlantic Wind Connection. He explained that Alstom is contributing its latest, most-advanced High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission know-how and equipment to this exciting project.

HVDC technology is ideally-suited for transmitting electricity across great distances more efficiently than alternating current (AC) systems. This first portion of the Atlantic Wind Connection will feature an Alstom 320 kV HVDC transmission system that includes converters and converter stations incorporating the companys HVDC MaxSine Voltage Source Conversion technology. These converters would transform the AC power generated by offshore wind turbines to DC power for transmission, which onshore stations would then convert back to AC for distribution to homes and businesses.

The New Jersey Energy link would be built in three phases, with major construction getting underway in 2016. The line is designed to carry as much as 3,000MW of electricity and slated to enter service in 2019. Stretching from Virginia to New Jersey, the Atlantic Wind Connection is intended to catalyze development of more than 7,000 MW of offshore wind resources located along Americas eastern seaboard.