Sonal Patel of Power reports on federal funding to bolster the grid.
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $2.2 billion in eight projects across 18 states to add nearly 13 GW of new transmission capacity, significantly boosting the nation’s power grid modernization efforts.
- This funding comes from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will catalyze $10 billion in total public and private investments, focusing on building 600 miles of new transmission lines and upgrading over 400 miles of existing lines.
- Key projects include a major East-West interconnector, advanced conductor technologies for California, and infrastructure to enable 4.8 GW of offshore wind in New England.
“GRIP allocates $700 million for the North Plains Connector Interregional Innovation (NPCII) project in Montana and North Dakota to develop a 3-GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) voltage source converter (VSC) transmission line bridging the Western and Eastern Interconnections. ‘The core project, North Plains Connector, would be the first HVDC project to connect three regional control entities: the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and Southwest Power Pool (SPP),’ the DOE noted. The North Plains Connector is an approximately 415-mile and up to 525 kV HVDC line that is still in the planning and development phase. Approvals are expected in 2026, and the line could be operational as early as 2031.”
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