Hudson River 660-MW Transmission Line Begins Service

A 660-MW underground and underwater transmission project linking Ridgefield, N.J., and Manhattan in New York City began operations on Monday.

The line, built and owned by Hudson Transmission Partners has a total length of about 7.5 miles, with a cable bundle buried under the Hudson River for about 3.5 miles and buried underground for approximately 4 miles . Using HVDC (high-voltage direct current) technology, the electricity drawn from the PJM grid is converted from AC to DC power, and then back to AC power, at a newly built converter station in Ridgefield, N.J., for the purpose of maximizing reliability and controllability in delivering power to Manhattan.

The line connects to the Con Edison system at the West 49th Street substation in the heart of Manhattan and is capable of delivering about 5% of New York City’s peak demand. The project began construction in May 2011 at a cost of approximately $850 million and was completed six weeks ahead of schedule, despite the two hurricanes that hit the area during the construction period, its developers said.

Sources: POWERnews, Hudson Transmission Partners