June 26, 2024 - More than 1,500 Middletown (Monmouth County, NJ) residents lost power this weekend. A local reporter asked Middletown Mayor Tony Perry whether JCP&L’s proposed high-powered 230KV transmission line, called Monmouth County Reliability Project or MCRP, would have helped recent power outages.
We commend and applaud Mayor Perry for his response to the question.
In 2016, JCPL proposed a 10-mile high-voltage (230KV) transmission from Aberdeen through Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown, and connecting in Red Bank. The company made general and misleading statements that MCRP would improve reliability, resiliency and robustness (an undefined term for electrical grid systems). After a 2-year legal proceeding, a judge denied the project in a very sharply worded decision against JCP&L. The Board of Public Utilities (“BPU”) agreed with the judge and unanimously adopted her decision denying the project.
As explained by Mayor Perry, MCRP was a high-power (230kV) transmission project (See "Blue" in the picture).
However, 99% of power outages come from down local DISTRIBUTION lines (see "Green" in the picture). These are two different systems.
We already have a main 230kV transmission line and a backup transmission line to the main transmission line. Both were "up" during all storms in the last twenty years – including Sandy and Irene - more than 99.99% of the time. The MCRP proposal is for a 3rd transmission line, a backup to a backup.
The power outages from the recent storms were primarily due to downed local distribution lines and even if the proposed high power transmission line (MCRP) was built or if 100 MCRP's were built, it would not have made a difference to the residents that lost power. It is analogous to JCP&L saying we need to build another 4-lane highway when the problems are potholes in the local streets in our neighborhood.
What can we do?
1. Mayor Perry mentioned that we should bury local lines, when possible, like for new constructions. We agree with this. Obviously, it will be challenging for most of the existing houses with above-ground power lines.
2. Local municipalities and the BPU need to enforce regular tree-trimming efforts by JCP&L.
3. There needs to be pressure on JCP&L to upgrade local distribution systems. During winter storm outages, we get out-of-state linemen come to New Jersey to help restore power. The record is filled with stories from these objective independent linesmen that they can’t believe how out of date and antiquated our local distribution is. Some of the equipment is more than 40 to 50 years old and needs modernization.
We have written previously that for-profit utility companies have long neglected proper maintenance (including upgrades) of their grid system because of the costs and the bottom-line impact. The traditional business model where an essential public service (electricity) is provided by for-profit companies, typically under monopolistic franchises, is fraught with too many conflicts that work against the public interest. See https://www.njcharge.org/single-post/2019/01/30/rethink-utilities
4. Encourage New Jersey State legislators to pass a bill to limit the duration of franchises that are granted to utilities giving them a monopoly and a license to ignore dissatisfied customers who can’t switch. A proposed bill that limits monopolistic utility franchises to seven years has been stuck in legislative committees for the past 6 years.
5. Explore the option to form an electrical co-op (i.e., owned by its customers) to replace for-profit utility companies. This was an option being explored by some towns in California in the wake of the bankruptcy of PG&E, the largest power provider in the U.S., due to liability from the fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, CA.
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