PSE&G has plans to update the power grid in Metuchen, Edison and Woodbridge by constructing a new transmission system between its switching stations in Edison and the Sewaren section of Woodbridge.
The $125 million project, which includes the placement of electric lines along part of the Middlesex Greenway, would replace PSE&G’s existing 138,000-volt system with a 230,000-volt infrastructure. The project is mandated by PJM Interconnection LLC, which coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states, according to Jaye Cavallo, PSE&G’s regional public affairs manager.
“The project will improve electrical reliability to our customers and eliminate the need to build a new generating system,” Cavallo said.
PSE&G also plans to replace equipment that has reached the end of its useful life or that was damaged by superstorm Sandy.
The first of the project’s two segments involves upgrading the overhead transmission system running from Sewaren to Edison. This includes approximately 7 miles of electric lines. Existing towers will be replaced with new monopole structures in Woodbridge and Edison.
The second part of the project is the replacement of the Sewaren, Lafayette Road and Woodbridge switching stations in Woodbridge and the Metuchen Switching Station in Edison.
According to Cavallo, the project is being funded through the utility’s capital budget and is included in electric supply charges on customers’ bills. The costs include basic generation services and thirdparty supplier rates. It is unknown how the project will affect consumers’ bills.
The project includes the possible placement of electric transmission lines along the Middlesex Greenway, a county-owned paved trail that runs through Metuchen, Edison and Woodbridge. Middlesex County is seeking state approval to divert a quarter-acre of the Greenway to Edison Township, which would then permit PSE&G to construct the overhead electric lines near Route 1 and the Metuchen Switching Station. The trail would see no permanent impact, according to officials.
A scoping hearing on the proposed Greenway diversion will be held at 7 p.m. June 9 at the PSE&G Edison Training and Development Center, 234 Pierson Ave., Edison. Public comment will be accepted at the hearing.
According to PSE&G, the demolition of existing towers and the installation of the new towers are scheduled to begin this fall and be completed in spring 2016.