In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $2.2 billion investment in the nation’s grid for eight projects across 18 states. The initiative aims to protect against extreme weather events, lower costs for communities, and increase grid capacity to meet growing demand from manufacturing and data centers. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, these projects will catalyze nearly $10 billion in public and private investments to bring reliable, affordable clean energy to Americans.
The new transmission infrastructure and technology upgrades will add nearly 13 gigawatts (GW) of grid capacity, including 4,800 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind. This deployment is expected to create at least 5,000 jobs and upgrade more than 1,000 miles of transmission lines.
“The first half of 2024 has already broken records for the hottest days in Earth’s history, and as extreme weather continues to hit every part of the country, we must act with urgency to strengthen our aging grid to protect American communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, emphasized the need for a resilient grid: “In order to reach President Biden and Vice President Harris’ climate and clean energy goals, we need a bigger, smarter, more resilient grid.”
White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi highlighted the broader impact: “As we build out the nation’s power grid...we are doing so by harnessing innovative technologies to lower energy costs, create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs, and take on the climate crisis.”
The GRIP Program funding represents a significant federal investment into critical grid infrastructure under DOE's Building a Better Grid Initiative. Today's selections include projects that use innovative approaches to enhance grid resilience and reliability.
Among these projects:
- Clean Path New York will deploy HVDC cables underground and underwater.
- North Plains Connector will improve interregional transfer capacity.
- Six other projects will implement advanced technologies such as dynamic line ratings.
Federal-state collaboration is also key:
- The RELIEF project involves five states addressing system contingency issues.
- Power Up New England aims to reduce wholesale energy supply costs by about $1.55 billion.
The GRIP Program includes two additional funding mechanisms: Grid Resilience Utility and Industry Grants aimed at strengthening America's power grid against wildfires and extreme weather; Smart Grid Grants fund technology investments enhancing power handling capacity.
Further selections for these grants will be announced later this year.
