US government pumps $2.2 billion into transmission enhancements

The funding for eight projects in 18 states is expected to catalyse nearly $10 billion in total public and private investment for new, innovative transmission infrastructure and technology upgrades to the existing grid.

The work covers 1,000 miles (1,600km) of transmission and will add almost 13GW of grid capacity, with nearly 5GW allocated to offshore wind, the DOE said.

The funding is being made available via the grid resilience and innovation partnerships (GRIP) programme.

Two of the projects – New York Power Authority’s Clean Path New York and the Montana Department of Commerce North Plains Connector – will deploy large new transmission lines.

Totalling some 625 miles (1,006km), the lines will deploy high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to increase grid capacity by approximately 4.3GW. Clean Path New York will deploy HVDC cables underground and underwater to deliver 1.3GW of renewable energy from upstate and western New York to New York City.

The North Plains Connector project, headed by the Montana Department of Commerce in partnership with the North Dakota Transmission Authority, will increase interregional transfer capacity by 3GW.

It will provide instantaneous change of direction in electricity flows to support the eastern or western grid when required, improving resilience and reliability, and enable the development of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s wind resources.

The “power up New England” programme will include new and upgraded points of interconnection for offshore wind and a multiday energy storage system to increase electric reliability and resilience.

Led by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DER), it will deploy a portfolio of integrated grid-benefiting technologies across the region to diversify New England’s resource mix and accelerate the region’s clean energy transition.

In light of the award of the GRIP grant for the New England project, the DER announced a month’s delay for project selection for the combined 6.8GW offshore wind auction for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The auction results will be announced on 6 September.