WASHINGTON – A Google-backed effort to build a $5 billion undersea power line supporting wind energy from New Jersey to Virginia faces opposition from state officials and utilities.
The Maryland Public Service Commission and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association are among those questioning Atlantic Wind Connection’s request that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approve incentives to build the project, including a guaranteed 13.58 percent return on equity for its development.
“They want consumers to pay for them to go through the planning process,” said Jay Morrison, vice president for regulatory affairs at the cooperatives group based in Arlington, Va.
The power line buried beneath the sea floor would serve as a 300-mile transmission backbone linking to wind turbines off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Trans-Elect Development Company, an independent transmission company based in Bethesda, Md., announced the project in October.
Google has a 42 percent stake in the project, company spokesman Parag Chokshi said in an emailed statement.
The first phase, which could be operational as early as 2016 will cost about $1.3 billion, sponsors say.
Atlantic Wind’s economic future depends on regulatory approval.
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