Among the 58 projects announced this week by the U.S. Energy Department to receive $3.5 billion in funding from the government is one in Oklahoma.
The funding is aimed at electrical grid resilience projects in 44 states, marking the largest single fedral investment in the electrical grid in the history of the U.S.
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company will receive $50 million to strengthen the electric grid in Oklahoma as part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships or GRIP Program.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OG&E), a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp (NYSE: OGE), to receive $50 million to strengthen the electric grid for Oklahoma communities.
“Improving reliability and strengthening the grid for our customers is one of our top priorities,” said Sean Trauschke, chairman, president and CEO of OGE Energy Corp.
“Our customers know the impact of living in a part of the United States most impacted by severe storms and extreme weather, and grid automation technology reduces the number of power outages and their duration. This grant by the Department of Energy allows us to double our impact and reduce the cost to our customers.”
The $50 million federal grant will be used by OG&E, along with investments made by the electric company, for an adaptable grid project that will provide grid automation to 92 circuits and 26 substations, improving reliability for approximately 90,000 OG&E customers. Additionally, the adaptable grid project includes the purchase of two mobile battery systems that can be deployed across OG&E’s service area during major restoration events to provide enhanced reliability and resiliency for customers and local infrastructure.
“Extreme weather events fueled by climate change will continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission systems, but President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will ensure America’s power grid can provide reliable, affordable power,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.
Some of the major projects to receive funding are in Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Oregon.
There are others as well:
- Several interstate regional projects, including one involving Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri and South Dakota.
- A wildfire mitigation project involving Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, the GRIP program leverages federal and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that’s prepared for extreme weather.
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