Proposed EnergizeNJ Grid Modernization Project Under Consideration

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Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, recently announced EnergizeNJ, a proposed $935 million investment designed to modernize the utility?s NJ grid, upgrade substations, facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources, and enhance overall system resiliency.  It would represent the largest infrastructure-upgrade investment in JCP&L’s history.

Details of the EnergizeNJ Proposal

EnergizeNJ builds upon the utility’s 2019 Reliability Plus plan, which has resulted in faster outage restoration times.  Here is what the new proposal would entail:

• Upgrading over 600 miles of overhead power lines to make them more resilient to storm damage.
• Replacing about 46 miles of old underground wire.
• Installing 2,175 TripSaver devices across 500 JCP&L circuits which act like circuit breakers and are designed to reduce the severity and length of power outages.
• Modernizing 18 substations to upgrade critical components, boost backup power capabilities, and increase overall capacity.
• Hardening equipment located in proximity to coastal areas to improve protection against salt in the environment.
• Acquiring additional mobile substations to provide deployable backup power in the case of a massive outage.

All investments executed through the proposed plan would target areas that have historically been most at risk of experiencing outages.  Expected return on investment (ROI) of the entire investment pool could exceed $3 billion.

JCP&L said the proposal was planned to be filed with the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on 11/10/23.  It is unclear when the BPU plans to make a decision or, if approved, when and where the work would start.

From my perspective, I certainly hope the proposal is approved.  Although I am not located in JCP&L’s service territory, I am based in NJ and therefore I would love to see the proposed investments come to fruition.  Anything that can reduce the frequency and severity of outages, while speeding restoration times and preparing the grid for a cleaner future, is alright by me!  Fingers crossed that EnergizeNJ is approved and lives up to expectations!