The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $29.9 million to three states, three tribal nations, and an Alaskan Native Corporation as the fourth cohort of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants to update the electric grid, ensure power sector reliability and reduce impacts of weather and natural disasters.
Part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the grants are supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office to help all communities with access to affordable, reliable and clean electricity.
Based on population, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts, DOE will distribute $2.3 billion in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants over the next five years. The states, territories, and Tribes will award these funds for projects, which generate the utmost community benefit with clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
Since May 2023, DOE has already distributed about $354 million in Grid Resilience Formula Grants to 23 states, the District of Columbia, and 12 tribal entities.
“Every community deserves clean, affordable power for their homes and businesses, a need that is only exacerbated during extreme weather events like the historic flooding and blistering heat waves that are hitting parts of the country this summer,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm. “Due to the transformative investments in grid infrastructure under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are preparing the nation for a more resilient, clean energy future.”
Connecticut received $6.5 million to improve system reliability and resilience during natural disasters and retain workforce from disadvantaged communities. Ohio was granted $14 million to demonstrate community benefits using metrics developed with community input, with a focus on improving customer experience and communication, while Vermont obtained $6 million to improve energy resilience and reliability through prioritized investments in disadvantaged communities and critical facilities and expanding the energy workforce in the state.
Cook Inlet Region was awarded $500,000 to reduce impacts to critical facilities from disruptive events, support workforce development, and address outdated grid infrastructure.
Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California received $287,000 to develop distributed energy resources and microgrids to increase power supply resilience, address Tribal energy justice to reduce impacts to disadvantaged communities, and support energy workforce development.
Moreover, Muscogee (Creek) Nation was granted $1.8 million to support critical Tribal facilities, implement technologies to improve and update grid control and operation infrastructure, and support Tribal workforce development. Village of Dot Lake will utilize funds of $149,000 to reduce outage risks through asset management and preventative maintenance, as well as plan the development of battery storage for critical facilities.
