The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $600 million grant to improve California’s electricity grid and build clean energy projects faster

August 8, 2024 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler (both D-Calif.) and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.-11) applauded the Department of Energy’s (DOE) announcement of $600 million in federal funding for California to upgrade 100 miles of transmission lines to improve the state’s grid reliability and deliver clean, affordable electricity faster. The funding comes through the $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program, which was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The GRIP grant was awarded to the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Independent System Operator, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and Southern California Edison. The agencies and utilities will partner on the California Harnessing Advanced Reliable Grid Enhancing Technologies or Transmission (CHARGE 2T) program, which will expand transmission capacity and provide interconnection improvements to increase and accelerate equitable access to clean energy across the state.

Padilla urged DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support the CHARGE 2T application earlier this year.

“As California grapples with increasingly extreme weather as a result of the climate crisis, bolstering our transmission network is essential for protecting public safety and ensuring a successful clean energy transition,” said Senator Padilla. “To meet the challenges we face, we must modernize our grid, and there is no better way to achieve that than through reconductoring. Thanks to this historic investment in our state’s CHARGE 2T program through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re updating our transmission lines to efficiently, reliably, and affordably deliver clean electricity while creating new green jobs.”

“I am proud to see the Biden-Harris Administration deliver these crucial investments to help modernize California’s power grid in the face of a changing climate,” said Senator Butler. “These federal dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will allow California to reliably transmit more clean energy, bring down energy costs for families, and brings us closer to a more sustainable future and meeting our climate goals.”

“Californians are acutely aware of the climate crisis’ impacts, as we continue to experience life-threatening wildfires, severe droughts and record-high temperatures,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said.  “This new landmark federal funding from President Biden’s Infrastructure Law will transform California’s clean energy grid by increasing its capacity, reliability and resilience against the climate crisis – creating jobs and lowering costs for Californians.  Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, Democrats have led the charge to save the planet and paved the way toward America’s clean energy future.”

“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration is not just talking the talk, they’re walking the walk. This funding is critical to our efforts to build a power grid that ensures all Californians have access to cleaner, cheaper, more reliable electricity,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Specifically, the CHARGE 2T project will:

• Support more than 300 direct jobs.
• Enhance more than 100 miles of transmission lines with advanced conductor technologies that will help connect more clean energy resources than the existing grid can accommodate at this time.
• Deliver an estimated $200 million in energy savings from improved grid efficiency.
• Invest in workforce training programs for the next generation of energy and utility workers.
• Create economic and community benefits for disadvantaged communities.
• Develop a portal to improve transparency and efficiency in the interconnection process.

GRIP is the federal government’s single largest direct investment into critical grid infrastructure. The program seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. The program leverages federal and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that is prepared to handle extreme weather while also delivering affordable, clean energy and creating robust local opportunities for economic investment and jobs.

A Northern California electrical grid project, led by the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, and Yurok Tribe, also received $88 million in GRIP funding, which — with matching funds from various sources — will ultimately total about $200 million. The result of years of collaboration between California tribes, the state, and other public-private partnerships, this project will develop an innovative network of community microgrids to ultimately create a highly reliable, resilient, and decarbonized system.

The communities affected currently rely on the Hoopa 1101 circuit — one of the least reliable circuits in the PG&E service territory, seeing average outages twice the duration of most other circuits. The project’s innovative approach — developed in collaboration with a new grid services laboratory at Cal Poly Humboldt — addresses the difficulties posed by rugged, rural, and wildfire-prone environments, and will allow communities to move away from relying on fossil fuels. 

Senator Padilla previously introduced the bipartisan POWER On Act to help strengthen electric grid infrastructure against extreme weather. The legislation was signed into law by President Biden in 2021 as part of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with $5 billion authorized over five years to help prevent blackouts, shutoffs, and utility-caused wildfires. The law also funds thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy and create a new Grid Deployment Authority, invest in research and development for advanced transmission and electricity distribution technologies, and promote smart grid technologies that deliver flexibility and resilience. Last year, Padilla announced $67 million for California through the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program, which was modeled after Padilla’s POWER ON Act.
Source: Senator Alex Padilla