Biden administration announces $2 billion in funds to strengthen electric grid

The Biden administration on Friday announced $2 billion in funding for projects to strengthen the resilience of the U.S. grid against extreme weather, an increasing concern following two consecutive major hurricanes in the Atlantic.

The funding, which will go to 38 projects in 42 states, will be provided through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, a $10.5 billion initiative included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Energy Department officials told reporters on a call.

The projects range from installing new power lines to adding protections for infrastructure against wildfires in fire-prone regions. They would create an estimated 300 miles’ worth of new power lines and 7.5 gigawatts of new electrical capacity, officials said.

Although the GRIP program predates hurricanes Helene and Milton, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on the call specifically invoked the storms, which devastated parts of western North Carolina and Florida, respectively. The projects covered by the funding include programs to strengthen the grid system in those areas, as well as a $250 million grant that would allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to add an additional 2,400 megawatts of transmission capacity.

“The devastating and deadly hurricanes, Helene and Milton, have put on stark display how extreme weather events continue to stress the nation’s aging electric systems; but across the country, the Biden-Harris administration is using every tool in the toolbox to make sure America’s power grid is hardened in the face of this challenge,” Granholm said. “The administration’s Investing in America agenda has provided the largest grid investment in U.S. history helping us add more energy to the grid faster, improve reliability and resilience, and invest in innovative technologies so customers across the county can have access to more renewable energy and pay less for their electricity.”

The announcement comes after a report from the International Energy Agency that projected demand for electricity will grow at a faster pace than earlier projections, due largely to increased demand from data centers.