The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $2bn in additional funding for 38 projects to protect the nation’s power grid against extreme weather and extend its transmission capacity.
The funding is part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) programme and aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda.
It will boost the transmission and distribution capacity by more than 7.5GW and accelerate the interconnection of new clean energy projects.
The projects will create 6,000 jobs and attract $4.2bn in public and private investments.
The projects, which extend across 42 states and the District of Columbia, will include the upgrade of 950 miles of transmission.
It includes the construction of 300 miles of new transmission lines and the enhancement of 650 miles of existing lines with new technologies to increase capacity.
The initial phase of GRIP funding was unveiled in October 2023, allocating $3.5bn to support 58 projects across 44 states.
In August 2024, the DOE announced a further $2.2bn for eight more projects.
The GRIP programme has so far announced a total of $7.6bn in federal funding for 104 projects, which are projected to enable 55GW of grid capacity, sufficient to power 40 million homes annually.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and its partners will undertake 84 resilience subprojects across eight states, adding 2.4GW of transmission grid capacity and reducing outage times.
This will include the first interconnection between the TVA and the Southwest Power Pool, providing 800MW of new energy supply and significant economic benefits to disadvantaged communities.
In Massachusetts, GridUnity will deploy software to streamline the interconnection process with multiple regional transmission organisations, impacting around 210 million people.
More than $150m will be invested in workforce development, scholarships and community grants through these projects, with 80% involving the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The DOE has also highlighted several grid solutions, such as Elevate Renewables’ project in Connecticut, which will integrate a 20MW battery energy storage system with an existing power station to create a carbon-neutral solution.
In Georgia, a consortium led by Georgia Transmission will enhance transmission infrastructure using advanced overhead conductors to improve resilience and capacity.
A third round of GRIP funding is anticipated to be launched in 2025.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M.Granholm said: “The devastating and deadly Hurricanes, Helene and Milton, have put on stark display how extreme weather events continue to stress the nation’s ageing electric systems – but across the country, the Biden-Harris Administration is seeking to ensure America’s power grid is hardened in the face of this challenge.
“The administration’s Investing in America agenda has provided the largest grid investment in US history, helping us add more energy to the grid faster, improve reliability and resilience, and invest in innovative technologies so customers can have access to more renewable energy and pay less for their electricity.”
