View of development in south Edgewater, NJ with Hudson River and Manhattan in background. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
USCG JOINT PRESS STATEMENT ON THE HUDSON RIVER CABLE REPAIR
NEW YORK (January 5, 2015) - Hudson Transmission Partners, LLC (HTP), owner and operator of an electric power cable buried beneath the Hudson River between Edgewater, New Jersey and New York City, is working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC), and other agencies to contain the release of small amounts of non-toxic cable fluid into the Hudson River. The fluid release was detected on Saturday and is the apparent result of damage to a portion of the cable in the Hudson River near the New Jersey shoreline in Edgewater.
Spill responders were dispatched to the area on Saturday and have contained the cable fluid with booms and absorbent materials. The rate of leakage is estimated at three to four gallons per hour. The fluid, which is used inside the cable for insulation, is considered non-toxic and biodegradable, and there are currently no observed environmental impacts in the area.
The precise location, cause, and extent of the cable damage is under investigation by means of cable testing and underwater reconnaissance. The results of the investigation will determine the means and method for cable repair. The cable was de-energized immediately upon detection of the fault and will remain out of service until permanent repairs are made.
The cable was installed in the Hudson River in December 2011 as part of the Hudson Transmission Project, completed in June of 2013, and is capable of carrying up to 660 MW of electric power between New Jersey and New York City. The project includes a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter station in Ridgefield, New Jersey, and slightly more than seven miles of cable buried on land and beneath the river between Ridgefield and West 49th Street in Manhattan.