DOE issues RFI looking for input on Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking input on the $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program.
The Request for Information (RFI) is looking for feedback from states, Tribes, communities, utilities, project developers, and other key stakeholders to help refine the funding opportunity announcement that will be made later this year for this program. The feedback will also help guide the implementation of the funding over five years to enhance the electric grid in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“DOE is moving quickly to upgrade the nation’s power grid in order to provide American households with more reliable and affordable electricity that comes from a more diverse set of clean energy sources,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing in improving and expanding transmission and distribution systems across the country, driving down energy costs and generating good-paying jobs.”
The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program, administered through DOE’s new Grid Deployment Office, is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.
There are three types of grants under this program. Grid Resilience Grants ($2.5 billion) support activities that will modernize the electric grid to reduce impacts due to extreme weather and natural disasters. The second is Smart Grid Grants ($3 billion), which will be used to increase the flexibility, efficiency, and reliability of the electric power system. It focuses on increasing the transmission system’s capacity, preventing faults that may lead to wildfires or other system disturbances, integrating renewable energy at the transmission and distribution levels, and facilitating the integration of increasing electrified vehicles, buildings, and other grid-edge devices. The third is the Grid Innovation Program ($5 billion), which provides financial assistance to one or multiple states, Tribes, local governments, and public utility commissions to collaborate with electric sector owners and operators on projects that use innovative approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure.
The DOE is requesting feedback through the RFI on the proposed implementation strategy for these three programs. Comments must be received by Oct. 14 by 5 p.m. EDT. The DOE expects to make the final funding opportunity announcement for FY22 and FY23 later this year.
