Rise Light & Power (Rise) and Delaware River Partners (DRP) are to develop a ‘shovel-ready’ site for a submarine cable manufacturing facility to service the US offshore wind industry.
The pair said the historic partnership would position New Jersey as a leading manufacturing hub in the growing offshore wind industry.
As part of its Outerbridge Renewable Connector project, Rise said it is prepared to invest millions in the facility at DRP-owned Repauno Port & Rail Terminal in Greenwich Township (Repauno).
The proposed submarine cable manufacturing facility will have a footprint of approximately 30 acres, along with dock access.
Upon approval of the Outerbridge Renewable Connector project, pending before the BPU, Rise and DRP will commence development and permitting work to make the site shovel-ready and to attract an offshore cable manufacturer, who would ultimately construct and operate the facility.
Submarine cable manufacturing facilities of similar size typically generate approximately 500 jobs during construction and over 100 good-paying, full-time jobs during operations.
Rise Light & Power chief executive Clint Plummer said: “This opportunity will bolster New Jersey’s leadership in offshore wind with a major investment to create good-paying jobs and become a national supply chain leader.
“The Outerbridge Renewable Connector will revitalize and repurpose infrastructure to meet New Jersey’s bold clean energy goals.
“We are excited about this partnership with Delaware River Partners.”
DRP chief executive Hank Alexander added: “We are proud to enter into a partnership with Rise Light & Power to develop New Jersey’s first submarine cable manufacturing facility.
“The Repauno Port & Rail Terminal is an ideal location for this project.
“Conveniently situated along the Delaware River, we are accessible and fully capable of meeting the offshore wind industry’s needs.”
With a demand for 800 to 1,000 miles of cable per year in the US and growing, the addition of a new submarine cable manufacturing factory could position New Jersey as a critical link in the offshore wind supply chain to meet this growing demand.
Currently, there is only one operational US offshore wind cable manufacturing facility out of South Carolina.
A typical offshore wind cable manufacturing plant may produce approximately 120 miles of cable per year, depending on size.
Rise and DRP will develop the site to be shovel-ready and collaborate to attract manufactures of two types of subsea cables required for offshore wind farms.
First are inter-array cables that connect turbines within the offshore wind farm to an offshore substation, and the second are export cables that connect the offshore substation to the onshore grid.
Rise is committed to advancing a regional supply chain for offshore wind submarine cable manufacturing in the region, and Repauno is the first step in establishing the regional supply chain to support the growth of the offshore wind industry.
Senator Edward Durr, representing the District of New Jersey in which Repauno is located, said: “Wind power is coming to Jersey. Atlantic Shores, Ocean Wind, New York Bight are underway and I’m sure others will follow.
“Submarine cables taking the power generated by offshore wind to the Rise Light & Power site for distribution is a sensible plan.
“Manufacturing those submarine cable at Repauno is a great opportunity to bring good paying jobs to the Third Legislative District and help generate additional economic development in our community.”