As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda—a key pillar of Bidenomics—the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 11 states, 2 territories, and 20 Tribal nations will receive a combined total of $167.7 million as the eighth cohort of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, these grants will help modernize the electric grid to reduce the impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring the reliability of the power sector. The Investing in America agenda has awarded a total of more than $748 million to participating states and tribal entities, providing clean electricity, decreasing energy costs, and keeping the lights on for millions of Americans across the country.
“A modern, reliable grid is a critical feature to expanding access and use of clean power sources,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is providing states and Tribes with historic funding to prepare for a more resilient, clean energy future, one that delivers more local jobs and ensures that the lights stay on in the face of extreme weather events.”
As part of the application process, states, territories, and tribes were asked to provide their overall goals for grant implementation. Some examples from this most recent cohort include:
- Arizona will improve the reliability and resilience of the electric grid to reduce the frequency and duration of power interruptions, especially in areas that are being disproportionately affected by disruptions. Grant funds will also be used to advance resilience investment projects that promote microgrids, implement advanced control sensor technologies, advance grid and pole hardening projects, and underground existing power lines in communities across the state. (Amount: $13 million)
- Florida will strengthen labor standards and protections for the workforce that is responsible for implementing grid reliability and resilience projects. Funds will also be used to reduce the energy burden and costs that customers in disadvantaged communities experience due to inadequate electric grid infrastructure. (Amount: $30 million)
- Illinois will focus on reliability and resiliency improvements in disadvantaged communities that are at risk from climate change impacts. They will also support equity by increasing access and opportunities for underserved residents and businesses, and support communities and small utilities in grid resiliency planning and investment. (Amount: $16 million)
- New Hampshire will invest in disadvantaged communities to reduce the frequency and duration of disruptive events while advancing projects that go beyond current resilience planning. New Hampshire is also committed to leveraging their existing workforce while providing additional development and training opportunities. (Amount: $7 million)
- Spokane Tribe of the Spokane Reservation will invest in reducing the frequency and duration of electrical outages on the Reservation and in increasing reliability and resilience at key Tribal facilities. Funds will also be used to enhance the Tribe’s skilled workforce by assuring that any installed resilience measures can be operated and maintained by the Tribe’s members and businesses, where possible. Projects will also advance energy justice by targeting projects located on the Reservation, preferably on trust lands. (Amount: $1 million)
- U.S. Virgin Islands will implement sustainable solutions by developing a skilled workforce within the Virgin Islands that is equipped to operate and maintain various grid modernization and resilience efforts. Funds will be used to increase energy resiliency closer to the point of demand through the increase in utility managed distributed energy resources in order to diversify methods of improving resiliency especially at the vulnerable ends of the distribution network. (Amount: $2 million)
- West Virginia will assess and improve energy efficiency and battery storage in critical buildings and develop community microgrids to increase overall grid reliability. Grant funds will also be used to identify electric customers, building owners, and electric utility providers that could benefit from grant funding. (Amount: $8 million)
A full list of recipients of the 8th cohort, as well as highlights on how they intend to deploy their funds is available online.
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 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 eligible entities to complete a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy.
Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant recipients are being announced on a rolling basis as applications are received. Applications for the fiscal year FY 2022 and FY 2023 are now closed.
Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office.
