To share how historic levels of federal and private investment are positively impacting communities across the country, this monthly newsletter showcases grid projects that have successfully completed award negotiations and are beginning work.
December 9, 2024
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Updates on Finalized GDO Project Awards
In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made a historic investment to expand and modernize this country’s critical electric infrastructure, and in 2022 the Inflation Reduction Act added to that investment. Since then, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) has been rolling out innovative programs and funding mechanisms rooted in meaningful stakeholder and community engagement to drive widespread infrastructure improvements, accelerating access to clean, affordable energy, good-paying jobs, and economic benefits to communities across the country.
To share how historic levels of federal and private investment are positively impacting communities across the country, this monthly newsletter showcases grid projects that have successfully completed award negotiations and are beginning work.
This month’s roundup of finalized awards includes projects from:
Highlighted Projects
Program: Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants
Recipient: Mt. Pleasant Power
Federal funding: $1,192,748
Mt. Pleasant Power will replace an aging transmission line with a new 5.8 mile 46 KV dual transmission line to reduce the risk of outages from wildfires and other natural disasters. The new line will include safety features to protect against lighting strikes and potential line snapping or unraveling that could fall into traffic or cause wildfire ignition. The new line will be rerouted away from farmland, to make it easier to access for maintenance and repair.
View full list of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Awards.
Program: Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants
Recipient: Louden Tribe
Federal funding: $295,220
The Louden Tribe, in partnership with the City of Galena, will replace aging equipment at the City of Galena Power Plant that is vulnerable to failure from frequent high-wind storms and extreme cold. Reducing the risk of outages is particularly critical for the community because a loss of power can impact its water supply during extreme cold temperatures. The project will also help lower maintenance costs on the generators and reduce electric usage at the plant.
View full list of Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Awards.
Program: Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives
Recipient: Petersburg Borough
Finalized Federal Award: $2,816,404.31
Petersburg Borough d/b/a Petersburg Municipal Power and Light in Petersburg, Alaska will refurbish aging equipment at its Blind Slough Hydroelectric facility, which is expected to extend the facility’s life by another 30 to 40 years. The facility began operating in 1921, was reconstructed in 1954, and is located on Blind Slough in Petersburg, Alaska.
View full list of Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives selectees.
List of Projects
The following projects completed award negotiations before November 16, 2024. To learn more about past projects, read the previous newsletters.
The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program is designed to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis.
| Awardee | Subrecipient | Federal Funding | Total Project Cost | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Office of the State of Idaho | Clearwater Power Company | $349,864 | $466,485 | Fire-resistant Technologies and Fire Prevention Systems |
| Executive Office of the State of Idaho | Clearwater Power Company | $2,000,000 | $2,750,000 | Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management |
| Executive Office of the State of Idaho | Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative | $439,136 | $585,515 | Undergrounding of Electrical Equipment |
| Executive Office of the State of Idaho | Idaho Power Company | $2,000,000 | $5,028,970 | Undergrounding of Electrical Equipment |
| Executive Office of the State of Idaho | Lower Valley Energy | $625,816 | $834,421 | Undergrounding of Electrical Equipment |
| Louden Tribe | City of Galena | $295,220 | $743,430 | Hardening of Power Lines, Facilities, Substations, or Other Systems |
| Maine Governor’s Energy Office | Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, Inc | $1,080,626 | $1,480,626 | Hardening of Power Lines, Facilities, Substations, or Other Systems |
| Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy | Great Lakes Energy | $1,281,069 | $2,345,139 | Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management |
| Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy | Indiana Michigan Power Company, Inc. | $2,010,432 | $4,020,864 | Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management |
| Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy | Northern States Power Company - WI | $757,000 | $2,859,000 | Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management |
| Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy | Village of L'Anse Electric Utility | $204,460 | $306,690 | Hardening of Power Lines, Facilities, Substations, or Other Systems |
| Nevada Governor's Office of Energy | Sierra Pacific Power Company d/b/a NV Energy | $10,016,429 | $21,670,680 | Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management |
| Sokaogon Chippewa Community | Sokaogon Chippewa Community | $157,599 | $315,198 | Battery-Storage Components: Use or Construction of DERs for Enhancing System Adaptive Capacity During Disruptive Events |
| State of Wisconsin | Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative - Bartelme | $405,339 | $625,762 | Undergrounding of Electrical Equipment |
| State of Wisconsin | Dunn Energy Cooperative | $77,442 | $116,163 | Monitoring and control technologies |
| State of Wisconsin | Eau Claire Energy Cooperative - Reclosures | $491,943 | $737,877 | Monitoring and control technologies |
| State of Wisconsin | Jump River Electric Cooperative | $548,948 | $823,421 | Hardening of Power Lines, Facilities, Substations, or Other Systems |
| State of Wisconsin | Vanguard Electric Commission | $10,533 | $16,175 | Weatherization Technologies and Equipment |
| Utah Office of Energy Development | Mt. Pleasant City Power | $1,192,748 | $3,324,064 | Replacement of old overhead conductors & Underground Cables |
The Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives is a $75 million investment focused on increasing efficiency by funding qualified capital improvements that improve an existing hydroelectric facility’s efficiency by at least 3%.
| Applicant/Selectee | Project Title | Finalized Federal Award | Primary State of Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ampersand Chasm Falls Hydro, LLC | Ampersand Chasm Falls Hydro | $57,742 | New York |
| Browns Valley Irrigation District | Virginia Ranch Dam Hydroelectric Efficiency Upgrade Project | $1,028,410 | California |
| City of Oswego, NY | Oswego High Dam Hydroelectric Station | $1,334,252 | New York |
| Green Mountain Power | Essex No. 19 Hydroelectric Project | $236,758 | Vermont |
| Green Mountain Power | Rollinsford Hydroelectric Project | $293,518 | New Hampshire |
| Petersburg Borough | Blind Slough Hydroelectric Project | $2,816,404 | Alaska |