For The People of Cape May and Atlantic Counties

South Jersey Gas is committed to reinforcing existing infrastructure in its service area, the seven southernmost counties of New Jersey, and has been doing so for several decades.

Cape May and Atlantic County residents deserve safe, reliable energy, cleaner air, and cost effective, locally sourced electricity generation.  Unfortunately, a significant opportunity to reach that improved state is at risk:

• 142,000 customers in Cape May and Atlantic counties are currently served with just one natural gas transmission pipeline. A disruption to this line – like that from an event like Superstorm Sandy or damage by a third-party contractor/excavator – could interrupt customers’ natural gas service for extended periods of time, even months.
• The B.L. England electricity generation plant is under NJ Department of Environmental Protection orders to stop burning coal per New Jersey’s 2011 Energy Master Plan (EMP).  The State policy is to decommission coal-fired power plants and convert to natural gas.  RC Cape May Holdings, the owner of the B.L. England facility, made the decision to repower using natural gas, consistent with the EMP.
• The electricity needed to meet existing demands in the region has to be created. It can either come from other plants in the PJM system that are much older and less efficient – burning coal or oil, and creating significantly higher air emissions. Or, it can come from the proposed repowering the current B.L. England facility to a natural gas generator. If the plant is not repowered and the current plant doesn’t generate the needed electricity, then that electricity will be forced to come from somewhere else – i.e. existing plants on the grid with inferior environmental performance.

THERE IS A SOLUTION.

South Jersey Gas has proposed to solve these challenges and deliver reliable energy through the construction of a new, gas transmission pipeline.

The new pipeline will run approximately 22 miles total underground, from just outside Millville in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, through Estell Manor to Beesley’s Point in Upper Township, Cape May County. Approximately 20 miles of the pipeline will be underground, beneath the pavement or below cleared shoulder of NJ State Highway Routes 49 and 50, within its existing cleared public rights-of-way. Approximately two miles are beneath Atlantic City Electric’s existing power line corridor.

Among the benefits of this project:

• Adding a second transmission line will allow service to be provided from an alternate direction in the event of a failure, reinforcing the South Jersey Gas system and providing customers with increased reliability.
• Repowering the B.L. England facility will help to increase the amount of new, in-state electric generation, drastically reduce air emissions and reinforce available power supply for the region.

South Jersey Gas has worked in consultation with the NJ Board of Public Utilities to design a route that mitigates the impact on populated areas and the Pinelands environment. This route’s recommendation was confirmed by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, who approved the route in 2015 as the best possible option from an environmental impacts standpoint.