For years, electrical transmission constraints in the crowded corridors of northern New Jersey were obvious. One indicator was that capacity prices in the region—what is paid to insure electric generation is available when needed—were consistently among the highest in the PJM Interconnection, the organization that runs the wholesale power grid for the state and all or part of 12 others.
The fix would seem to be simple: upgrade the transmission lines. But nothing is simple when working with live electricity and when the job runs right through one of the most densely populated regions on the Eastern Seaboard.