PJM Issues Statement on Rapid Response Team Selection of Susquehanna-Roseland Project

News provided by

Oct 05, 2011, 11:57 ET

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PJM Interconnection issued a statement concerning the White House announcement today that the proposed Susquehanna-Roseland transmission project, linking eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, is listed as a project to be expedited by the federal Rapid Response Team for Transmission.

Praising the project's inclusion, Terry Boston, PJM president and CEO, said:

"The Susquehanna-Roseland transmission project, serving the residents of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is vital to the reliability of the electricity grid and in providing new power resources to the Eastern seaboard. Approved as part of our regional plan in June 2007, the project is expected to resolve major congestion that will help reduce electricity costs for consumers."

The 500-kilovolt line will run about 150 miles from a substation near Berwick, Pa., to a substation near Roseland, N.J. The line will address overloads projected to occur beginning in 2012. The line is being developed by PPL Electric Utilities and Public Service Electric and Gas Company.

The Rapid Response Team consists of representatives of the Departments of Interior, Energy and Agriculture, along with the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Formed earlier this year, the team is charged with advancing the national transmission and clean energy agenda by identifying and prioritizing long-term electricity infrastructure needs.

The team has been working with the Eastern Interconnection States Planning Council and the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative, of which PJM is a founding member, to develop its list of projects.

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 58 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid, which includes 61,000 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. Visit PJM at www.pjm.com.