Offshore wind backbone begins to take shape

New York Times : The Atlantic Wind Connection, a “transmission backbone” for wind farms off the US Atlantic coast, took a further step toward being built when Atlantic Wind filed an application on Tuesday with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The proposed backbone would run from Virginia at least to northern New Jersey, with an option to connect with New York in either Manhattan or Brooklyn, and would pick up 7000 megawatts of energy from offshore wind farms. The proposal includes nine offshore platforms each about 600 feet long. Cables from wind farms would tie into the system at the sea floor, and equipment would convert power from AC to DC, a better form for submarine transmission. Atlantic Wind has not stated the anticipated cost of the project and has not yet sought bids on the work. A study by the Brattle Group estimates it will cost between $3 billion and $5 billion, less than the cost of letting each wind farm connect to shore independently.