MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Tuesday, Middletown Mayor Tony Perry was emphatic that high-voltage transmission lines — like the kind JCP&L/First Energy sought to build in Monmouth County in 2018 — would not have prevented the power outages that plagued Middletown and beyond last weekend.
He’s right, said Jersey Central Power & Light.
“These were all local neighborhood power lines that were damaged by Saturday’s storm,” said JCP&L media spokesman Chris Hoenig. “The proposed transmission lines would have been high-voltage lines in clear-cut corridors. They would not be affected by falling trees or high winds. It was above-ground power lines in residential neighborhoods that were brought down by the storm Saturday.”
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Six years ago, from 2016-2018, thousands of Monmouth County residents successfully fought a proposal by JCP&L to build transmission power lines in the area; it was called the Monmouth County Reliability Project.
Yes, the Monmouth County Reliability Project would have increased power to electric substations, said Hoenig. However:
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“Having more supply going to a substation does not matter if the neighborhood lines are damaged,” Hoenig explained this week. “For us, the Monmouth County Reliability Project was about transmission. The Monmouth County Reliability Project would have upgraded transmission. It would not have prevented damage by the weather to distribution lines. Transmission and distribution are two completely separate systems.”
However, there is a current JCP&L proposal that would have relieved last weekend’s power outages, or at least shortened their duration (a handful of Middletown homes were without power for three days, from Saturday into Monday):
It’s called JCP&L EnergizeNJ: JCP&L seeks to bury seven miles of power lines in Monmouth County outside substations.
“It also involves building stronger poles and using thicker wire. The thinking is it will make the system more resilient to storms,” said Hoenig. “I can’t say it would have prevented all the outages we had this past weekend — listen, that was an insane storm that rolled through. But it certainly would have helped to reduce some of the duration of outages. Power could have been restored in a matter of minutes rather than being out for hours.”
JCP&L’s EnergizeNJ has been submitted for review to the NJ Board of Public Utilities, and is currently awaiting their approval.
Tuesday: Power Back For All After ‘Unbelievable’ Storm Hits Middletown Saturday
Six years ago: BPU Rejects Monmouth County Reliability Project: In a stunning decision, the Board of Public Utilities rejected a high-voltage power line proposal for Monmouth County. (June 2018)
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