Beesley secondary - Conectiv coal generation retirement

Conectiv has now formally filed with the NJ Board of Public Utilities for permission to construct electric transmission in support of abandonment of the Beesley Point Generating Station not later than December, 2007. Coal being the major (only??) freight traffic on the Beesley secondary does not bode well for this line.

After years of summer energy shortages and the rising price of every fule but coal why would Connective want to retire this plant???

Jersey_Mike wrote:After years of summer energy shortages and the rising price of every fule but coal why would Connective want to retire this plant???

I know we discussed this on the board before, and I seem to recall that the plant is coming due for a rebuild, which would require expensive pollution control upgrades. I believe that the facility was offered for sale, but that there were no prospective buyers due to this (in other words, the cost of the upgrades would eat away any potential profit, and much more - the plant is a losing proposition).

Sir Ray wrote:

Jersey_Mike wrote:After years of summer energy shortages and the rising price of every fule but coal why would Connective want to retire this plant???

I know we discussed this on the board before, and I seem to recall that the plant is coming due for a rebuild, which would require expensive pollution control upgrades. I believe that the facility was offered for sale, but that there were no prospective buyers due to this (in other words, the cost of the upgrades would eat away any potential profit, and much more - the plant is a losing proposition).

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It's an old plant, and there's a lot of newer property on the market at better prices. NJ's a tough place to do business for a utility

Ken W2KB wrote:Conectiv has now formally filed with the NJ Board of Public Utilities for permission to construct electric transmission in support of abandonment of the Beesley Point Generating Station not later than December, 2007. Coal being the major (only??) freight traffic on the Beesley secondary does not bode well for this line.

Yes, this has been discussed here before. In any case, a lot can happen between now and 2007 folks...for example, they could decide that the plant cannot close for some reason...however, I'll admit, it does not look good for the old B.L. England plant...

We need to look at the possible bright side of things here, something that has not been done in reference to this issue. That land will still be zoned as industrial, and so it will need to be used for some industrial purpose. There is the chance that an industrial park, possibly a quite large one, could be constructed on the site of the old ConnectIV plant, which might generate even more traffic than the current plant does. That thing only generates about 150 carloads per week, sometimes less. That comes out to 7800 carloads in a good year. A large industrial park could generate a bulk of that kind of traffic. This industrial park idea is not confirmed, to my knowledge hasn't even been formally proposed yet, but is it not a possibility?

Plus, remember...there are other freight opportunities coming in the future for the Beesley's, including CMSL's Woodbine thing eventually, and some other traffic that I'm not at liberty to talk about here...

In short, I've determined this over the past few months since this topic has developed. Conrail will most likely retain the Beesley Point Secondary, at least up to Winslow. The rest is owned by the State of NJ anyway, and so it's really up to them concerning what happens to it after the closure of the plant. If Conrail wanted to discontinue service over it (should the Woodbine thing not pan out due to some unforseen circumstances), the state would have the final say in the abandonment. If CR deemed that the track between Winslow and Tuckahoe was not generating enough traffic even with the Woodbine CMSL deal, and they seeked to abandon service, the state would most likely contract out with another operator (SRNJ would be a good choice) to run the service.

In short: The Beesley Secondary isn't going anywhere, folks. The status of the line in terms of FRA certification might change (possibly to Industrial Track status, after the plant closure...this won't happen if this other traffic I'm talking about works out), but the line itself isn't going anywhere. The coal trains might be disappearing in the future, which is why that's where we should all concentrate our photographic efforts at this time...let's not wait until the very last coal train to go out and get this, guys...

Knowing our luck down here with rare events, it'll probably be a rainy / icy day in the middle of December, when you can't get a slide worth a darn because it's too darn dark, and your light meter starts telling you you're wasting your time here. This is how I was feeling shooting the circus train. Down and back. How can you have rain on BOTH days, with almost no rain in-between? And the same kind of heavy, pouring rain? Is that even possible?

Mike DiMunno

>>>After years of summer energy shortages and the rising price of every fule but coal why would Connective want to retire this plant???<<<

The shortages were not a result of lack of generation, but rather resulted from insufficient delivery capability, e.g. wires. The planned transmission will help alleviate futre problems.

As to the price of coal, there is a worldwide shortage that has arisen in the last year or so, and prices of coal have risen dramatically.

>>>Closely related to the power plants, Oyster Creek in Lacey Twp. is another plant that has been slated to close. I know the governor was against renewing the plants license (and that may have already been done).<<<

It's not slated to close. The operating license is up for renewal by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and it is extremely unlikely that it will not be renewed. Neither the Governor nor any state agency can block renewal or force the plant to close. Any such statements are pure political pandering.

For that matter, the proposed Conectiv transmission will connect to the Oyster Creek Plant area to be able to import from there to replace the England Plant's capacity and energy.

>>>the land zoned industrial<<<

Apparantly not. See the below news article. Even if it were, that does not mean commercial or residential development cannot be done. Zoning works as reverse restriction.

Moreover, Conectiv in partial settlement of environmental litigation, has agreed to convey the property to the State as parkland after the plant closes. (the below news article was written a few weeks before the settlement with the NJDEP)

"Conectiv Power Delivery intends to close this coal-fired plant by the end
of 2007, when stricter mercury-emissions standards go into effect.

Cape May County Planner Jim Smith on Monday said state officials asked to change the zoning on the company's land in Beesleys Point to make way for parkland.

This sprawling mix of wetlands and hulking power equipment fronts the Great Egg Harbor Bay. The plant with its familiar lighthouse-like smokestack is a prominent landmark on Route 9, a state highway.

It is zoned for residential or commercial construction. But Smith said the
state, presumably the Department of Environmental Protection, wants the land set aside for a new park. It is contiguous to the state-owned Lester G.
MacNamara Wildlife Management Area that stretches west to Tuckahoe."

Well then it is sealed! According to Ken, the powerplant will officially close! Get your pictures on the Beasly's before it's too late!

Steve

Well then it is sealed! According to Ken, the powerplant will officially close! Get your pictures on the Beasly's before it's too late!

Steve

There's an article in today's Wall Street Journal which says the US nuclear power industry may apply for permits on two brand new nuke plants. If approved, they'll be the first opened since 1971.

That's 33 years ago. Other than the people who worked on Shoreham and Seabrook, I wonder if there's anyone active who ever built one of these suckers?

First opened since 1971 is incorrect. Probably meant to say first started since 1971. PSEG Power's Hope Creek Unit in Salem County opened in the 1986 and I don't think it was the last one built, though certainly one the last in the US. Elsewhere in the world US contractors have built units more recently.

njt4172 wrote:Well then it is sealed! According to Ken, the powerplant will officially close! Get your pictures on the Beasly's before it's too late!

Steve

Yes, the coal trains are going...so get your shots of those now...also, remember that the coal trains will probably trickle off around November of 2007, as the plant will burn on it's backstock for around the last month of operation...so don't wait until December 2007, because your chances of catching a coal on there will decrease greatly by then...

But trust me folks, other things are most likely in store for the Beesley's in the future...Conrail has just welded most of the line between MAN and BART...dosen't logically seem like something for them to do if they're planning to abandon service in the next few years...they haven't done work on some lines around here that really need it, and that have a decent solid future yet...yet they've invested all that time and effort into the Beesley's in the past 12 months or so...make your own assumptions here...

Mike DiMunno
www.SJRail.com: All about South Jersey Railroads!

"Don't worry just yet" was what I was told by a friend who works for Conectiv at B. L. England shortly after Conectiv announced their intention to seek to colse B. L. England, he repeated this again just the other day. Yes Conectiv may have filed with the BPU to construct new transmission to support the retirment of B.L. England, however the transmission system in the Cape May / Atalntic County areas is in need of upgrading with or without the plant.

Another point brought up is the increase in the price of coal, while the price may have increased over the last year it is still cheaped, by far I'm told than Natural gas, and if the price were to rise substantially, that would seem to boad well for B. L. England as all three units can burn oil, and did at one time before the oil crisis in the 1970s.

I find it intresting that the PBU was not in favor of the sale of the plant, along with Conectiv's plants in Deepwater and Indian River Delawere a few years age to NRG, but would now support it's closing, but who knows. I have been told that typical NJ beauracy played a large roll in that sale falling through. Alough it was reported that the sale fell through for other reasons, it is interesting that NRG did eventually buy Indian River.

December 2007 is a long way away when you consider what can and has happened inthe engery market. Who knows maybe the plant will close, we'll just have to wait and see.