Jersey Central Power & Light President Jim Fakult said he doesn’t need to take a poll to see if the state is in favor of a clean energy future. He just has to drive to work.
“Every time I go down the Garden State Parkway, I see more and more Teslas,” he said. “People are going to need to charge them. I think electrification is the future. We’ve got to be ready for it.”
Fakult said JCP&L and its parent company, FirstEnergy, are firmly behind the push for more clean energy initiatives — and not just electric vehicles. JCP&L is deeply involved in New Jersey efforts to build an offshore wind industry.
In the fall of 2022, its joint proposal with Mid-Atlantic Offshore Development (called the Larabee Tri-Collector Solution 1) was selected by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
The group will build a new substation and acquire land near the existing Larrabee Substation in Howell for the future installation of up to four DC converter stations. JCP&L will then transfer the energy collected at the new substation built by MAOD and send it to three other substations, where it will connect the energy to the state’s power grid.
Read more from ROI-NJ:
- Mobile substations: Yes, they exist — and are interesting part of JCP&L’s EnergizeNJ proposal
- Modernization moment: JCP&L feels EnergizeNJ proposal brings added reliability, resiliency while preparing state for future
- EnergizeNJ: How businesses will benefit from JCP&L plan
Fakult called this an example of not only being all-in on clean energy — but being ahead of the curve, too.
“I think the state was very careful and very wise in saying, ‘Let’s make sure that when the energy from offshore wind hits the land, the grids ready to accept it and distribute it’ — and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re preparing in a big way.
“That’s a huge amount of energy that’s going to flow in. We’ll have the grid ready to go so that, on Day One, we’re ready to go. We have to be.”
Fakult said JCP&L obviously backs Gov. Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan.
“We believe our customers want to see a clean energy future,” he said. “We’re certainly here to support that and to support the governor’s program.
“At the end of the day, our job is to deliver whatever power comes into our grid to our customers efficiently, safely and cost effectively. We’re proud to be part of New Jersey and proud to support a clean energy future.”
