USA, Washington: The US Department of Energy plans to support 31 grid-improvement projects across 26 states through a combined $5.25 B investment.
The programme includes $1.9 B in federal funding and $3.35 B in recipient cost-share funding. Projects are expected to reconductor or rebuild more than 2,400 km (1,500 mi) of transmission lines and deploy grid-enhancing technologies across nearly 34,000 km (21,000 mi).
According to DOE, the selected projects could make more than 23 GW of additional electricity capacity available by increasing the capacity and operational flexibility of existing transmission infrastructure.
The programme focuses on reconductoring, replacing existing lines with higher-capacity conductors, alongside other advanced transmission technologies. DOE said the approach is intended to increase grid capacity while making greater use of existing rights-of-way.
The projects are also expected to address congestion, improve reliability and reduce the need for some new transmission corridors.
DOE said the investments will support measures aimed at reducing wildfire risks, preventing outages and improving resilience against severe weather.
The projects are being funded through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships programme under DOE’s Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades initiative.
Source: US Department of Energy
