Atlantic Wind Connection

I have really been slacking when it comes to writing these posts lately, but I'm finally making a new one today, and it comes with some exciting news for environmentalists. According to a January 15th article from The Star-Ledger, a private company called Atlantic Grid Development is going to start building a wind-power station along the east coast. Construction is set to begin off of the Jersey Shore in 2016. The first phase of construction will be to build the underwater transmission line that will run along the coast, from New Jersey to Virginia, and connect the wind turbines and carry the electricity to land for use. This cable project, called The Atlantic Wind Connection, will connect about 7,000 megawatts of wind turbine electricity. In New Jersey alone, it is estimated that it will power about 1 million homes. Although it will take about 10 years to complete, the New Jersey portion of the cable will be partially operational by 2019.

The biggest challenge will be finding funding, but so far, investors include Google, Bregal Energy, Marubeni Corp., and Elia. When the project begins, it will create about 1,980 construction and operations jobs in New Jersey alone, and is estimated to "pump $9 billion into the economy and bolster local tax revenues by $2.2 billion." So here, "going green" and helping the economy go hand-in-hand.