OED to improve Utah grid resiliency with $17.8 million grant program

The Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) has announced the launch of Phase II of the Utah Grid Grant Program and is inviting utilities across the state to apply for this matching-funds grant program for projects that strengthen and modernize Utah’s electrical grid.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office, Utah’s Grid Grant Program will help offset the cost of infrastructure improvements and upgrades that protect the grid against extreme weather events, wildfires and natural disasters.

“Nearly every facet of our modern lives depends on access to reliable, adequate and affordable energy, which makes a resilient grid not just a priority, but a necessity,” a DOE release said.

OED will distribute $17,838,148 to small and large utilities for Phase II of the program. The program has a matching requirement for utilities: a 33 percent match for small utilities (those that sell less than 4,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year) and a 100 percent match for large utilities (those that sell more than 4,000,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year). The funding will help utilities absorb the cost of making improvements while also benefiting local communities with well-paid jobs and workforce development opportunities, DOE said.

“Improving our electrical grid’s resiliency is critical,” said the acting director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, Dusty Monks. “A modern, resilient grid ensures Utahns have reliable power when they’re most vulnerable, like during natural disasters. But it’s more than that; grid resiliency is essential for our economic stability and energy security and ensuring our citizens’ health and well-being. We will see a lot of improvements to the state’s grid as Phase I projects are installed, and we’re excited to see proposals for how our utilities will increase grid resiliency in Phase II.”

Projects for Phase I will provide a range of transformative projects that lay the foundation for a more resilient energy grid, Monks said. From installing new infrastructure to improvements in transmission lines, poles and electrical wires, as well as substations and the installation of wildfire detection technology, the impact of these projects will be felt from Brigham City in Northern Utah to Washington City in southwestern Utah.

Applicants interested in Phase II funding are encouraged to register for Utah’s Grid Resilience kick-off meeting on Oct. 1. Applications for Phase II grants are due by Nov. 1.