The Biden administration on Wednesday announced $3.5 billion for 58 projects across the country to strengthen electric grid resilience as extreme weather events continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission systems.
Louisiana and Georgia will get $249 million each for rural areas. In Louisiana, two projects will focus on helping disadvantaged communities withstand extreme weather and develop microgrids to work with local utilities and back up existing assets. Entergy New Orleans also will enhance the local grid’s resilience to severe weather, including hardening existing transmission lines and distribution systems to reduce outage frequency and duration.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says it is the largest federal investment ever in grid infrastructure, supporting projects that will harden electric systems and improve energy reliability and affordability. The federal spending, combined with money promised by private partners, could result in up to $8 billion in investments nationally to upgrade the grid, Granholm said.
The grid as it currently sits, Granholm said, is not equipped to handle all the new demand and withstand natural disasters and extreme weather worsened by climate change. “We need it to be bigger, we need it to be stronger, we need it to be smarter” she adds, to bring a range of renewable energy projects online and meet the Biden administration’s goal of reaching 100% clean electricity by 2035.
Projects funded by the federal Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program will increase the flexibility, efficiency and reliability of electric power systems, with a particular focus on spurring solar, wind and other renewable energy, Granholm said. The projects also are aimed at fixing problems that may contribute to wildfires and other disasters, and will improve reliability by deploying innovative approaches to electricity transmission, storage and distribution, she and other officials said.
The largest grant, $464 million, will go to improve five transmission projects across seven Midwestern states, from Iowa to North Dakota. The money includes $95 million previously announced for Hawaii in the wake of devastating wildfires this summer, and $150 million to PacifiCorp to upgrade the grid and boost wildfire mitigation in California, Oregon, Utah and other states. Read more about the federal funding.
"electric" - Google News
October 19, 2023 at 09:28PM
https://ift.tt/pBineZa
Louisiana is getting $249M for electric grid upgrades - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
"electric" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2pRUZV1
https://ift.tt/b7ZiG5m
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Louisiana is getting $249M for electric grid upgrades - Greater Baton Rouge Business Report"
Post a Comment