Ohio Awarded $14.2M in Grid Resilience Funding

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The state will receive a $14.2 million Grid Resilience Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to modernize its electric grid and reduce the impacts of extreme weather and natural disasters for Ohioans.

The grants, announced Thursday, aim to ensure the reliability of power sector infrastructure so all communities have access to affordable, reliable and safe electricity.

The funds will help ease or eliminate the cost associated with electrical grid modernization on local communities, a news release states. Projects eligible to receive funds include placing electrical equipment underground, making technologies fire resistant, replacing old overhead conductors and underground cables and managing utility poles.

“Reliable electricity is essential to ensuring quality of life for all Ohioans,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “Modernizing our grid and protecting it from extreme weather will help keep Ohio’s homes, schools and offices thriving.”

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will distribute funds to projects throughout the state. Priority will be given to projects that generate the most benefit for communities by providing affordable, reliable and clean electricity.

“Successful projects will reduce the frequency and duration of outages in disadvantaged communities and improve the reliability of vital utility service,” PUCO Chair Jenifer French said.
Ohio’s $14.2 million grant comes from the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.