DEP Awards $15+ Million In PA Electric Grid Resilience Grants To Prevent, Shorten Power Outages In Rural Electric Systems; Fall Grant Round Planned

On July 30, the Department of Environmental Protection announced the award of more than $15 million in grants to electric distribution companies to improve electric grid reliability and resilience through 2024 Pennsylvania Grid Resilience Grant funding.

Another grant round will open in Fall 2024.

“The impacts of these targeted investments across the Commonwealth are clear; power outages will be prevented and outage time when they occur will be reduced,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “The PA GRG funding will result in a more resilient and reliable electric grid for Pennsylvanians while enabling the expansion of clean energy generation, energy sector job creation, and investments in environmental justice and underserved communities.”

Pennsylvania is experiencing more and longer power outages due to population growth, increasing energy demands, severe weather fueled by climate change, and aging infrastructure. 

Frequent and extended outages also impact Pennsylvanian businesses, healthcare, emergency response, and utility services. 

Through the PA GRG funding, DEP will continue to prioritize smart investments to increase the resilience and reliability of our electric transmission and distribution systems.

Over 57,000 Pennsylvanians in 18 mainly rural counties will experience significant improvements in their electric grid resilience and reliability through the projects selected to receive the first-round of awards. 

The work will be accomplished by energy sector job types including electronic and general technicians, systems and electrical engineers, linemen, journeymen, apprentices, etc. 

This first round of projects will result in:

-- 20 substations receiving upgraded equipment and 16 receiving added smart grid sensors/monitors to add weatherization, capacity, and flexibility. Communities will also receive elevated equipment, underground cables, automation technologies, and added physical protections that will prevent outages.

-- Over 200 pieces of cutting-edge smart grid equipment will be installed, providing protection and control via enhanced system monitoring to detect power outages, locate and isolate them to speed system restoration. These grid enhancements will reduce outage time in some areas from hours to seconds.

-- Over 8,000 power line poles will be inspected and almost 3,000 miles of vegetation will be cleared to lessen the impacts of storms fueled by climate change.

The PA GRG Program is funded under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grant Program. 

Grants were awarded to:

-- Somerset County

-- Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative: $1,485,000 for the installation of additional power lines supported by smart grid technology. This project will result in 7.5 MW of renewable energy added into the service territory. 

-- Franklin County

-- Borough of Chambersburg: $806,250 to install two innovative power-mounted smart grid systems to promote rapid isolation and restoration of power in the Borough. These devices will also allow increased electricity from renewable sources in the Borough.

-- Tioga County

-- Wellsboro Electric Company: $500,548 for the installation of advanced grid technology to rapidly detect, isolate, and restore power for all 6,445 customers served. This investment will reduce total yearly customer outage time by 2.5 million minutes. 

-- Jefferson, Clearfield, and Elk Counties

-- United Electric Cooperative: $5,049,000 will fortify the electric grid across multiple counties in west-central Pennsylvania, the rural electric cooperative will revitalize an outdated substation using state-of-the-art materials and equipment, replace/relocate power lines increasing efficiency and capacity, implement smart grid technology, and conduct extensive tree trimming in targeted areas.

-- Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming Counties

-- Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative: $2,145,000 for the installation of advanced satellite imagery and machine learning technology to provide comprehensive visibility of 2,800 miles of power lines. Additionally, over 50 smart grid devices will be implemented to increase control and visibility. The project will bring cooperative outage duration per member annually from over 34 hours to below 7 hours by 2028. 

-- Erie, Crawford, Warren, and Venango Counties

-- Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative: $834,400 for the installation of a new transmission line with advanced smart grid technology will be constructed to add essential redundancy to the network. Through added back feed, power disruptions will go from days to seconds reducing total system outage time by 84 percent.

-- Sullivan County

-- Sullivan County Rural Electric Cooperative: $3,300,000 to relocate and future-proof the electric substation by upgrading its capacity, adding weatherization, and smart grid technology. This project will reduce outage durations by 97 percent.

-- Bradford, Tioga, and Potter Counties

-- Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative: $932,200 for the installation of smart grid technology and substation hardening to improve reliability and resilience. The project will give system operators a real-time, accurate visualization of the entire distribution grid remotely to troubleshoot and prevent system issues. Power outages in the territory will be reduced by 15 percent and outage time will be reduced by 20 percent.

Visit DEP’s Pennsylvania Grid Resilience Grant webpage for more information on this program.

Energy/Climate Plan

Ensuring Pennsylvania has a reliable power grid is a key part of Governor Shapiro’s energy plan – which will protect and create more than 14,500 energy jobs, lower utility bills for Pennsylvania households, and take real action to address climate change pollution.  [Read more here]

If passed by the legislature, the Governor’s initiatives would save Pennsylvania ratepayers $252 million in the first five years, while generating $5.1 billion in investment in clean, reliable energy sources. 

The Governor looks forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly to secure Pennsylvania’s energy future while ensuring the health and safety of our communities.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Report Emergencies, Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; visit DEP’s Blog,  Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

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[Posted: July 30, 2024]  PA Environment Digest