The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has disclosed the allocation of $34 million for 12 projects in 11 states under the Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS) program. These initiatives, designed to fortify and modernize America's aging power grid, will implement solutions to enhance grid infrastructure.
According to a press release by DOE, these teams are supervised by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). Among them is Arizona State University, which plans to develop a water-jet underground construction tool. This would reduce cost and schedule impacts by deploying medium-voltage electrical cables and conduits simultaneously. Other projects include GE Vernova's robotic worm tunneling construction tool, Melni Technologies' streamlined power cable splice kits, Oceanit's subsurface sensor system, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's artificial intelligence for geophysical survey data, and Prysmian Cables and Systems USA's hands-free power cable splicing machine—each contributing to grid modernization and reliability.
"Modernizing our nation’s power grid is essential to building a clean energy future that lowers energy costs for working Americans and strengthens our national security," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm according to the same press release. "With today’s announcement, DOE is supporting teams across the country as they develop innovative approaches to burying power infrastructure underground—increasing our resilience and bringing our aging grid into the 21st Century."
According to information from the GOPHURRS webpage provided by ARPA-E, the GOPHURRS program seeks to simplify the construction of underground medium voltage power distribution grids. It focuses on a concurrent drilling and conduit installation method to enhance efficiency. The objective is to transition from traditional digging methods towards drilling, thereby minimizing surface disruption. Projects within GOPHURRS will advance autonomous utility installation technologies, including rapid subsurface drilling, concurrent conduit installation, and look-ahead sensors to avoid obstacles.
As per the About webpage provided by ARPA-E, ARPA-E is primarily focused on advancing early-stage, high-potential energy technologies that may not yet attract private-sector investment. ARPA-E awardees are engaged in developing new methods for energy generation, storage, and utilization.
