UNITED STATES: The Google-backed Atlantic Grid Development (AGD) group has appointed engineering company Teshmont as part of its plan to build an offshore grid on the US eastern seaboard.
AGD has made Teshmont the ‘owner’s engineer’ for the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) project. The AWC consists of a 6GW high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cable connecting offshore wind farms with the mainland.
Teshmont’s role as owner’s engineer includes developing designs, systems integration studies, and testing.
In October, Google announced it had agreed to become a major investor in the $5billion transmission project. Other companies involved include renewables investor Good Energies and transmission specialist Trans Elect.
Trans Elect said it could begin building the line in 2013. It hopes the first phase, running 150-miles from New Jersey to Delaware, could go into service by 2016.
The project was recently submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval. The document highlighted how HVDC technology could handle the variable supply of energy from offshore wind farms to the PJM grid.
The PJM serves a large proportion of the eastern US, including Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
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