JCPL Brings Back Controversial High-Voltage Power Line

Monmouth County, NJ - Jersey Central Power & Light is bringing back a once-highly-controversial idea to build a high-voltage power line that will stretch from Aberdeen to Red Bank.

The 230,000-volt line will run on an existing public use right-of-way along the New Jersey Transit’s North Jersey Coast rail line. It will stretch for nearly 10 miles, from Aberdeen to Red Bank, and will also include improvements to substations along the way.

"It is similar to prior projects that JCP&L proposed in the same areas of Monmouth County," JCP&L said in a statement.

But, the company continued, a Monmouth County real estate and population surge predicted in the 1980s has come to fruition, and the infrastructure improvements must now be made.

The company just announced the project Thursday, and JCP&L expects to file for regulatory approval to begin construction before the end of June, a company spokesman said. The plan requires approval by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Serious backlash in Monmouth County in the 1980s

When JCP&L first pitched the idea of a mega-voltage power line 25 years ago, in the late 1980s, many in Monmouth County hated the idea.

Some people formed a group called Residents Against Giant Electric (RAGE), saying the massive power lines would lower property values. They also raised fears that the electromagnetic fields could pose a serious public health risk, according to NJ.com.

Townships like Middletown, Hazlet and Holmdel sought to block the construction, and a legal battle between them and JCP&L ensued.

In the 1990s, JCP&L abruptly abandoned the idea, but today, it's back again. The company has renamed the project the Monmouth County Reliability Project.

JCP&L will host a series of face-to-face open house events in neighborhoods near the proposed project, with dates and locations to come. More info can be found on a website JCP&L created about the plan, MonmouthReliability.com.

The company says the transmission line will create a more modern electric system in Monmouth County, improving service for its 214,000 customers.

They also say the new lines will result in fewer power outages, and give customers extra power when they need it.

The project, should the state approve it, will create approximately 245 temporary jobs during construction.