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Article Source: Thomasnet

Article Link: https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/doe-funds-projects-protect-power-grid/

The Biden-Harris administration is pouring financial resources into safety measures once again for the country’s power grid. The Department of Energy (DOE) is set to provide about $2 billion worth of funding to 46 projects across the U.S. that will be channeled into multiple efforts to keep the power grid running smoothly during extreme weather conditions.

Looming Natural Threats to the Grid

The focus for this investment is providing improvements that will ensure the safety of the grid and communities that are subject to dangerous weather conditions and natural disasters. This includes locations prone to wildfires, tornados, and hurricanes, which heavily wear down the grid’s infrastructure and leave people without power. 

Additionally, 40% of the resulting changes that stem from the investments will go to disadvantaged communities or areas that are largely excluded from these types of upgrades and financial support.

This isn’t the first time that the power grid and its related plants, substations, and companies have received investments for safety. In August 2022, the DOE announced it would provide a budget of $45 billion to keep it safe from cyber-attacks

The Organizations and Companies Involved 

Currently, 46 projects have been selected for the funding, spanning 47 states. These include the likes of Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Entergy Texas, Inc., and Southern Illinois Power Cooperative. 

Outside of corporations or local government-ran utility companies, the money will go to labor unions and other organizations (like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) that can provide employment support, whether that’s through apprenticeships, offering support for employees’ career trajectories, or scholarships.

Bolstering the Grid Across the States

The dozens of projects named in the new funding initiative will each provide a different service or enhancement to help its surrounding communities fight location-dependent weather issues that arise. 

A few of these include Arizona Public Service Company, which is working on upgrades for systems and equipment that’s susceptible to wildfires in the Southwest, as well as Randolph Electric Membership Corporation in North Carolina, which is increasing reliability and reducing outages, especially for underprivileged areas. 

There is also GridUnity, a Boston-based platform that’s aiming to provide around 70% of Americans with safer and more reliable power regardless of what occurs. 

Achieving Clean Energy Goals Safely

This injection of funding is another way in which the Biden-Harris administration is working to progress its large number of clean energy projects and hit its targets. Aside from supporting the grid through relatively uncontrollable natural events, this helps finance more capacity for clean energy and supports the domestic production of power, too.