By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
BEESLEYS POINT – Upper Township Committee took a step toward allowing wind-generated electricity to be brought in to the former B.L. England power plant, unanimously voting to introduce an ordinance to allow Ocean Wind to install electrical cable and conduit along township roads.
That ordinance is expected to come up for a public hearing and final vote on Oct. 26, but township engineer Paul Dietrich said it should not be taken as a sure sign that the former power plant has been chosen as a site to bring power into the grid.
If approved, he said, the ordinance would allow the company to install power lines within the public right of way.
“Right now, only a public utility can utilize the roadway,” Dietrich said. “Since they’re not an official utility, they asked us to do that.”
Ørsted, a Danish energy company, won the first round of bidding for a massive offshore wind farm, with plans for wind turbines spread over 180,000 acres off the coast, expected to generate enough electricity to power a half-million homes. Some of that power will land at the site of a former nuclear power plant in Ocean County. Some will either come to the Upper Township site or to Atlantic City.
According to Dietrich, the request for use of the rights-of-way should not be taken as an indication that Upper Township is a shoe-in. Township officials have said they want the site chosen, but so far have not heard anything definitive.
The company has geological surveys under way. He said the pandemic has likely slowed the public comment process down, as the company continues to evaluate its options.
“Ørsted is still investigating all options and is continuing to engage with our stakeholders. We will make an announcement at a later date,” reads a statement from the energy company emailed on Monday.
Ørsted officials have said they expect to have a decision by the end of this year. Plans call for the wind turbines to be operational by 2024 with more projects on the horizon. New Jersey has a goal of powering 3.2 million homes in the state with renewable energy by 2035.
Redevelopment at B.L. England site
The issue is separate from plans to evaluate the former B.L. England site as an area in need of redevelopment. If deemed so by Township Committee, the designation would give the township broad powers to entice developers to the site.
The Planning Board is set to review a report on the potential creation of the zone at its Oct. 15 meeting, set to be held remotely at 7:30 p.m. The possibility will be explored regardless of whether the site is chosen for the wind power project.
There are between 40 acres to 60 acres of land that could be developed in the sprawling B.L. England site, which in addition to the power plant encompasses extensive woods and marsh and a golf course.
“They’d need about five (acres),” Dietrich said about Ørsted. “There’s still a lot of area that can be developed. We’re looking at the whole thing.”
According to the report, posted to the township website, the area had been declared in need of redevelopment in 2005, but that was rescinded as part of a process with the plant owners.
Now, more than 10 years later, with the closure of the B.L. England plant, many of the same conditions that supported the designation exist, or have worsened, the report reads.
Part of the area was included in a newly created zone, the Waterfront Town Center, intended to promote development of the site with restaurants, boat rentals and residential uses.
The total site includes close to 300 acres of land. The report indicates a large portion of the site includes wetlands.
“The B.L. England property offers many opportunities for redevelopment ranging from industrial, given its history and rail access, to water and tourist-related commercial uses,” reads the report.
“Any redevelopment of this site and surrounding area will create a change to the character of the area as the overall intensity of use and traffic patterns have changed considerably since the closing/removal of the (Beesleys Point) bridge and the closing of the plant operations,” the report continues. “Given the uniqueness of this area, the traffic levels and access and the historical land uses, the township has determined to review the site and determine if it meets the statutory criteria to be declared an Area in Need of Redevelopment.”
The electricity-generating station, which at one time included diesel- and coal-powered turbines, closed in May of 2019. Opened in 1961, the plant had meant reliable power and jobs for decades but had also been repeatedly cited as a source of air pollution in violation of the Clean Air Act.
A proposal to convert the plant to natural gas fell through after plans to bring a gas pipeline to the plant through the Pinelands National Reserve sparked years of fighting and appeals from environmental groups. Instead the owners moved to decommission the plant, but there were delays there, too, as New Jersey officials said the plant could not close until upgrades to the power grid were completed.