New converter station operational in Sayreville Local officials hail project as economic boon to the borough BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer MICHAEL ACKER Edward M. Stern, president and CEO of Neptune Regional Transmission System LLC, stands behind the company's new converter station and addresses borough residents and officials at the ribbon-cutting event for the facility that was held Nov. 1. Seated (l-r) are Raniero Travisano, Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency chairman; Mayor Kennedy O'Brien (partially hidden by podium), and council President Thomas Pollando. SAYREVILLE - The borough has ushered in a new era for a formerly abandoned 12-acre site. Neptune Regional Transmission System LLC recently began operating its new converter station on the property, near Sayreville Boulevard, after 20 months of construction. The land in question once belonged to the Sayre & Fisher Brick Co., which was once the world's largest maker of bricks. Due to its historical relevance, Neptune has agreed to conduct a historical research project on the former factory site. The converter station, which was 99 percent functional as of last week, is part of Neptune's $600 million undersea electric transmission project between New Jersey and Long Island. The station changes electricity from alternating current to direct current for transmission in either direction on a regional underwater electric transmission cable. During a Nov. 1 ceremony, Edward M. Stern, president and CEO of Neptune, thanked state and local officials who have worked with the company over the past five years. He told Greater Media Newspapers that the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which is the state authority responsible for the power for 3 million people, experienced record summer-peak demand for electric power, showing the need to lower energy costs in the tristate area. A nuclear plant that was built in Long Island in an effort to meet the area's power needs sits idle today due to local concerns, Stern said. He added that Long Island's power is among the most expensive power in the country. "The problem with Long Island is that it is a heavily populated area that is very hard to site power plants in," Stern said. Mayor Kennedy O'Brien spoke before the crowd of public officials, borough employees and residents on Nov. 1 in front of the converter station, which is located near Ken Buchanan Park, River Road. O'Brien said the project is ideal for the borough, since it generates no children to burden an already cash-strapped school district. Also, he said, there will be virtually no traffic on nearby roads like Main Street, which are congested during the peak commuting hours of the day. "It's a great ratable," O'Brien said. O'Brien expressed gratitude to the Middlesex County Building and Construction Trades Council, and commissioners on the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency. "This is your day," O'Brien said. "This is what the redevelopment agency is all about." Five years ago, several SERA commissioners visited Neptune's plant in Ireland to assess potential problems with vibrations and noise, O'Brien said. The commissioners reported that they did not find any problems at the plant abroad, and there were no concerns with the plant being built on Sayreville Boulevard. O'Brien said the presence of the plant on the abandoned parcel will generate $400,000 per year in taxes. "It turned out to be a very good piece of real estate for Sayreville," O'Brien said. "… This was an open field, generating no taxes." O'Brien introduced Stern, who led the company through the final stages of the development on the Sayreville plant. O'Brien noted that the project was constructed by union labor, and was built on budget and ahead of schedule. Stern addressed Neptune's interest in making the converter station as attractive as possible, so that residents would have a clean tax ratable. The company extended Sayreville Boulevard to improve access to the site, which is landscaped with trees and shrubs. "Our commitment is to be a part of the community," Stern said. State Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, of Sayreville, addressed the crowd as well, saying that the project will do a lot for the municipal tax base, in addition to "making sure we have good jobs for our tradesmen and women." Bill Schlueter, president of the Middlesex County Building and Trades Council, thanked Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution, a global supplier of electrical facilities, for its work on the project. He said this is the third project that Siemens and the trade workers have done together. Christopher Hocker, Neptune's vice president of planning, said during a tour of the facility that Siemens will operate and maintain the system for the next five years. Prysmian Cables and Systems USA LLC, a specialist on electricity transmission cables, installed the 65-mile underwater line from the borough to Long Island. The cable delivers up to 660 megawatts of new electric power to the LIPA system. The line is projected to save $1 billion in net utility costs to customers over the next 20 years.