The Department of Energy is awarding $13 billion in grants for projects that will support the Grid Resilience Innovative Partnership and Transmission Facilitation programs.
Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the funding opportunities are are open to states, tribes and utilities, DOE announced Friday.
The GRIP program includes projects to increase capacity and create new technologies to improve the transmission of electricity. It accounts for $3.8 billion of the new funding round, dedicated for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Through the Transmission Facilitation Program, the Energy Department is authorized to borrow up to $2.5 billion to help fund initiatives focused on the construction of sustainable and high-capacity transmission lines. The initial round of solicitation is slated to enable DOE to offer capacity contracts and own 50 percent of a transmission line’s generated power in order to minimize the risk of under-sizing or under-building such projects.
“We are moving swiftly to deliver cleaner, cheaper energy to every American community by building a modern and reliable electric grid,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.
DOE will provide additional information on the two programs through a public webinar on Nov. 29 and 30. Concept papers for GRIP are expected to be submitted by Jan. 13, while proposals for the Transmission Facilitation Program are due by Feb. 1, 2023.
