Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration is investing an additional $14.4 million to strengthen Pennsylvania’s electric grid, helping communities prevent power outages, improve reliability, and restore electricity faster when severe weather strikes.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the latest investment earlier this week alongside U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) officials. The funding will support Pennsylvania’s Grid Resilience Grants Program, building on nearly $25 million DEP has already provided for projects that modernize the electric grid and improve its ability to withstand severe weather, aging infrastructure, and growing electricity demand.
“We’ve seen what strong storms can do to the power grid, and these grants will help keep the lights on when storms hit and the grid is stressed,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “At a time when electricity is in higher demand than ever before, our efforts to ensure a reliable electric grid are essential. Funding like this makes it possible for applicants to reach for innovation and transformation, while at the same time protecting against the potential for grid outages. We have seen great work already done by the initial recipients of this grant, and we are excited to see how these new projects further our efforts for electric reliability in Pennsylvania.”
Through the first two rounds of the Grid Resilience Grants Program, projects serving more than 60,000 Pennsylvanians across 20 predominantly rural counties are strengthening critical infrastructure, improving outage detection, and helping utility crews restore service more quickly.
Approved projects are expected to deliver:
- Upgrades at 15 substations and smart-grid sensors and monitors at 10 substations, along with weatherization, elevated equipment, underground cables, automation technologies, and other physical protections to help prevent outages.
- More than 300 pieces of advanced smart-grid equipment to improve system monitoring, detect and isolate outages, and speed restoration — reducing outage times in some areas from hours to seconds.
- Inspections of more than 8,000 utility poles and nearly 3,000 miles of vegetation management to reduce storm-related damage and improve grid reliability.
These investments will also support clean energy development, create workforce opportunities for skilled energy-sector workers, and deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities.
DEP will share additional information about the timing of future grant opportunities in the coming months.
Here’s what Pennsylvanians are reading and watching about this announcement:
WTAJ-TV: From hours to seconds: Federal grant aims to cut storm power outages across Central PA
WJAC-TV: Feds, REA Energy tout $1.5M investment aimed to improve power outage response
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