Upper Planning Board OKs Electrical Substation Sought by Ocean Wind

PETERSBURG – By a unanimous vote, the Upper Township Planning Board gave preliminary and final site plan approval for constructing an electrical power substation roughly 250 feet from a 50-year-old substation that is part of the Beesley’s Point redevelopment plan.
Members of the board cited the compliance with the township’s redevelopment plan, a point stated by the applicant’s attorney, Keith Davis, a partner in Nehmad Davis & Goldstein. 
Davis called experts to testify as to the compliance and appropriateness of the plan. Davis was representing Ocean Winds LLC, which is also the name of projects under the parent company Ørsted, developer of offshore wind farms.
No large crowd of opponents attended the meeting, as they had Feb. 27 when the governing body considered an ordinance to allow the change of site for the substation. At that meeting, the mayor called for a recess in order to allow order to be restored in the meeting room.
Davis April 20 briefly acknowledged the notoriety the Ocean Wind project had received, particularly in relation to the deaths of marine mammals along the New York and New Jersey coastlines.
“I am sure by now you’ve all heard, read, and seen something about the Ocean Wind project,” Davis said. “This application is not concerned with that aspect of the project.”
Davis said the application before the Planning Board concerned preliminary and final site plan approval and a minor subdivision on the 7.2-acre site where the substation would be located. 
The new substation would be in addition to the existing electrical substation and is not replacing it, as was previously reported. 
Davis said the power generated by the wind turbines located in a yet-to-be-constructed wind farm would be transmitted down Roosevelt Boulevard (34th Street) to the station at the former B.L. England Generating Station. Davis said the substation was only a small part of the 294-acre site.
Davis said the Planning Board adopted a redevelopment plan for the former generating station and he said the plan he was presenting was fully compliant with the redevelopment plan outlined in the township’s Master Plan, and no variances were needed. 
His client, he said, was looking to locate the substation in an area that would allow Beesley’s Point Development Group to design what they would like on the site.
Davis said although no variances were needed as part of the application, he was being conservative and asking for a planning exception, which called for the substation structure to be located on an improved street. 
His professional witnesses, who gave testimony, said there would be access for fire and emergency services if needed. 
Kathy Herring, an engineer from the E2 Project Management engineering firm, said Ørsted would be the first on the scene in the event of an emergency.
Herring was joined by Gladys Doran, a project manager with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), who is overseeing the design and construction of the substation for PSEG. 
Doran confirmed after the meeting that the new substation would be linked to the existing substation, owned by Atlantic City Electric, and the power would be transmitted to the power grid. 
Herring, who has also performed planning and engineering work for PSEG, said her job was to ensure the project met the requirements of the redevelopment plan. 
She said the plans were that the substation would be unmanned, and it was unlikely all five onsite parking spaces would be used at the same time. Herring also addressed issues that included easements, cable routes, fence heights, and lighting.
Davis called upon Pamela Dopart, who holds a doctorate in environmental health sciences, to address a neighbor’s question about sound from the substation. George Riley asked if the substation would have any humming or buzzing at night. 
Dopart said municipal requirements require the decibel level to be a maximum of 50 dB at night and the noise level would be below that. Normal conversation, she said, ranges between 65 dB and 80 dB.
Dopart was also asked about radiation or electromagnetic fields (EMF) coming off electrical lines, including buried lines. Dopart said EMF occurs, but it dissipates very rapidly. In response to a resident’s question, she said it is unlikely any effects from EMFs would be felt 40 feet away.
During public comment, two residents spoke against the project. Shani Kovacevic said 33 shore towns are part of litigation to stop the Ocean Wind project, which opponents believe is responsible for the deaths of marine mammals. She asked the board not to allow variances for the project to which Davis responded that he was presenting a “variance-free application.” 
Davis had asked that approval of the subdivision run concurrent with the site plan approval. A site plan approval is good for two years and a subdivision is generally good for 190 days.
Chelsea Headley, a licensed professional geologist, said she was happy to see the former B.L. England site cleaned up but was against the project. She said she has many family members in the recreational and commercial fishing industries who would all be impacted by the project.
“What does the township get out of this?” she asked.
Planning Board member and Deputy Mayor Kim Hayes said the application was only about the placement of a substation and reiterated comments made at the Feb. 27 meeting where it was said that a substation already exists onsite, and the project could proceed without their approval.
James Ackers said the area needs power generation stations and supported the project. He also said it would create jobs.
Anne Poole, who said she was the president of the board of directors of the New Jersey Environmental Lobby, spoke in favor of the project, saying it represented the use of clean energy.
The board ultimately approved the project, which may now move to the permitting stage.   
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.