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DOE invests $50M to modernize electric grid in select U.S. states, Tribal nations

May 24, 2023
Biden-Harris Administration invests $50 million in first round of investments to strengthen the grid's resilience and enhance its ability to deliver cheaper, cleaner energy to communities across the country.

As part of President Biden’s "Investing in America" agenda, the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) on May 23 announced four states and two Tribal nations were selected to receive the first round of funding, totaling $50 million in Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants.

Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will help to modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts due to extreme weather and natural disaster and ensure the reliability of the power sector’s infrastructure, so all communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity anytime, anywhere while helping deliver on the President’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.

Over the next five years, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will distribute a total of $2.3 billion to states, Territories, and federally recognized Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts.

The states, Territories, and Tribes will then award these funds to a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy. Today, DOE is announcing the first round of funding. Additional awards will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming weeks and months.

As stated in a press release, the states and Tribal nations awarded the first round of funding for fiscal years (FY) 22 and 23 are:

  • Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians (California) ($182,000) aims to select projects that provide benefits to the Tribal community including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, fewer and shorter outages, and opportunities for Tribal workforce development. The Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians aims to continue developing a microgrid system and integrating it with grid power. The Tribe also plans to support workforce development for Tribal members on its Reservation.
  • Louisiana ($16 million) plans to build the next-generation sustainable, customer-centric, carbon-free grid and reduce residents’ overall energy burden, particularly for disadvantaged communities. Selected projects also will aim to ensure the continued, safe operation of the energy system and advance more equitable, economically sustainable, and resilient communities throughout Louisiana.
  • Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) ($1.8 million) aims to reduce the number and duration of outages caused by natural hazard disruptions by hardening power lines, facilities, substations, and other systems. Selected projects will address other outdated and/or failing energy infrastructure items and materials like power lines and poles, transformers, and bucket trucks while reducing the energy burden experienced by low-income Tribal members and disadvantaged Tribal communities.
  • New Mexico ($14 million) plans to reduce the number and duration of outages caused by natural hazard disruptions by repairing and strengthening damaged or vulnerable systems. New Mexico also seeks to coordinate resilience measures with adoption of renewable resources, strengthen community resilience, and grow the resilience workforce in the State.
  • North Dakota ($7.5 million) aims to reduce the magnitude, duration, frequency, and impacts of grid outages caused by major disruptive events. Selected projects will also seek to develop energy solutions that provide lower-cost energy access to disadvantaged and underserved communities.
  • South Carolina ($10 million) aims to increase monitoring and control capabilities to provide visualization and enhance situational awareness around extreme weather events, among other things. Selected projects under the state’s program may also focus on enhancing vegetation management programs and providing system adaptive capacity via energy storage and microgrids.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is helping protect neighborhoods and main streets from blackouts and power shutdowns during extreme weather, which are exacerbated by climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “I’m so excited to announce the first round of grants for grid resilience — funding that will strengthen America’s workforce and prepare the nation for a more resilient, clean energy future.”

DOE's press release noted that the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants awards are made on a rolling basis as applications are received. The FY 22 and FY 23 application deadline for States and Territories is May 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET. The FY 22 and FY 23 application deadline was extended for Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native Corporations, until August 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET (with a mail-in option post-marked by this date).  

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