The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $77 million in the second rollout of an electricity supply modernization grant, bringing total awards to $127 million.
Seven states, three tribal nations and the District of Columbia have been selected for the second batch of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, a five-year, $2.3 billion program to protect the grid from natural disasters such as storms and wildfires .
The state of Pennsylvania has the highest share at $16.2 million. This is for projects in both rural and urban communities that “improve the health of residents by deploying energy projects that reduce air emissions and greenhouse gases and promote workforce benefits, including strict labor standards and protections,” the DOE said in a news release Friday. .
With $11.8 million, the state of Iowa will fund projects that allow faster restoration of service.
The state of Nevada has received $10.5 million to help achieve an equitable sharing of the “burdens and benefits of energy production and consumption, while reducing the likelihood and consequences of disruptive events.”
The state of Wisconsin has received $10.2 million to “increase the skilled workforce, demonstrate partnerships with training providers, including registered learnerships and other joint labor management training programs, and improve the number total number of contractors trained to operate and maintain eligible resilience projects.” .
The $9.3 million award from the state of Idaho is to expand electrification, address weather hazards, enforce labor standards and promote consumer participation.
The state of Indiana will work to “ensure the availability of power to critical community services such as public safety, communications, medical and transportation systems during disasters.” It has received $9.2 million to ensure a workforce capable of this.
The Hawaii State Energy Office of Community Engagement and Public Affairs has received $6.1 million.
The District of Columbia has allocated $3 million to have battery energy storage systems, advanced monitoring and control devices and other grid solutions.
The DOE has awarded the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana $711,000 to help it “capture energy savings, generate revenue to reinvest in the community and control its energy future.”
The Mohegan Tribe has received $317,000 to “address outdated and failing monitoring and control technology infrastructure and build the tribal workforce ensuring that any new resiliency measures can be operated and maintained by tribal members and employees.”
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians has received $266,000 for “activities that increase resilience to the devastating effects of wildfires and support electrical production during planned and unplanned regional power outages.”
In the first release, $50 million has been awarded to four states and two tribal nations: Louisiana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, and the Navajo Nation.
“As the threats of climate change intensify and we add more renewable energy to our power system, it is critical that the American people have a safe and resilient power grid,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M Granholm in Friday’s announcement.
The DOE has increased the amount of this year’s tranche “to better account for the likelihood of disruptive events on tribal lands,” targeting 243 tribes, as stated in an official announcement on 5 may It has also extended the application deadline to August 31 for Indians. tribes including Alaska Native corporations.
The grant is authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, passed in 2021.
Power outages
The latest official data shows that electricity consumers experienced more than seven hours of outages in the US in 2021.
“When major events, including snowstorms, hurricanes and wildfires, are excluded, the average duration of annual outages remained constant at around two hours per year from 2013 to 2021,” the report said. ‘Energy Information Administration (EIA) on November 14, 2022.
“Customers in Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, Mississippi and West Virginia experienced the longest outages in 2021, ranging from nearly 19 hours in West Virginia to more than 80 hours in Louisiana,” said the ‘government agency.
“Louisiana also had the highest number of power outages, followed by Texas,” he added, noting that 2021 was “the third most active Atlantic weather season on record.”
Winter storm Uri in February 2021 caused blackouts for about 4.5 million people in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Louisiana was again hit by Hurricane Ida in August 2021 with 1.2 million customers without power, and another half million without power as a result of Hurricane Nicholas arriving about two weeks later, according to the EIA.
“The long outages were largely due to extreme weather events,” he said.
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