Six projects in Maine will receive Federal funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve local electric grid infrastructure and technology
Governor Janet Mills today announced $6.6 million in grant awards to six Maine utilities and technology providers to deploy electrical grid resilience projects in Maine communities.
The awards, selected through the Maine Grid Resilience Program with funds awarded to the state under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants, will improve the resilience of Maine’s electrical grid to better withstand extreme storms while enhancing clean energy deployment and job opportunities.
When combined with matching funds provided by recipients, these awards represent an investment of more than $11 million to improve the resiliency of Maine’s electrical infrastructure.
The funds are administered by the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) and come as communities in Maine recover and rebuild after extreme storms this past winter and spring caused significant devastation, millions of dollars in infrastructure damage, and left hundreds of thousands of Maine households and businesses without power.
“We know that bad storms, like those we experienced last winter, are only going become more frequent and more severe because of climate change, likely increasing the number and duration of power outages – unless we act now,” said Governor Janet Mills. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing. These six projects across Maine – from Vinalhaven to Van Buren – will receive grants to address critical energy infrastructure needs. These investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will protect the health and welfare Maine people by advancing important upgrades to our electric grid that will reduce the frequency and duration of power outages in the future.”
Maine communities selected for awards include:
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Calais region: Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative will upgrade its distribution system by replacing approximately 10.6 miles of older distribution lines, adding and replacing transformers, and replacing poles and cross arms. “In addition to hardening this section of distribution lines, this funding will increase the ability to back feed more consumers from multiple substations,” said Scott Hallowell, CEO of Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative. Amount: $2,000,000.
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Vinalhaven and North Haven: Fox Islands Electric Cooperative (FEIC) will upgrade and relocate an existing submarine electrical cable that serves the island community of North Haven, “a project that will protect critical infrastructure from the impacts of extreme weather conditions and modernize FIEC’s grid to ensure safe and resilient electric service,” said Amy M. W. Turner, CEO of Fox Islands Electric Cooperative. “This funding is a significant step towards achieving FIEC’s goal to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to its Fox Islands communities.” Amount: $1,080,626.
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Van Buren: Van Buren Light and Power will replace antiquated poles, distribution lines, and switching equipment while also training apprentice line workers. “The funding will help ensure that Van Buren Light and Power District will provide safe, reliable electrical power to the Town of Van Buren, Maine into the future,” said William H. Schofield, manager of Van Buren Light and Power. Amount: $561,750.
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Madison area: The Madison Extreme Weather Resilience project will increase community and electric grid resilience by upgrading critical power lines, expanding vegetation maintenance, and deploying advanced monitoring devices to decrease outages, particularly those resulting from flooding. “This funding will enable us to keep our system ready for future harsher weather conditions,” said Martin Berry, Superintendent for Madison Electric Works. Amount: $510,633.
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Indian Island: In partnership with the Penobscot Nation, Sunnova will deploy distribution infrastructure and controls to interconnect two community facilities to a solar photovoltaic and battery storage system, creating a community microgrid to reduce the impact of power outages. “As part of our mission to achieve energy sovereignty, the Penobscot Nation takes pride in hosting a microgrid that empowers multiple properties within our community to share their distributed renewable resources,” stated Gary Fearon, Chief of Staff of the Penobscot Nation. The project “will provide greater energy independence for the Penobscot Health and Commercial Centers,” said Adam Miller, Vice President of Microgrids at Sunnova.“The community will benefit from the dependable, sustainable electricity generated and consumed from their own facilities – and enjoy more peace of mind in the face of future grid outages.” Amount: $689,737.
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Sebago region: The Central Maine Power Shaw Mill project will install upgraded grid measures and switching devices to enhance reliability in Baldwin, Sebago and Standish – an area that has experienced numerous outages affecting close to 36,000 customers in the past three years. “This funding will directly benefit our customers by improving reliability and hardening the grid to protect it from more extreme weather,” said Joe Purington, President of Central Maine Power. “As part of the larger Avangrid family, we are putting our expertise to work as we continue modernizing Maine’s electric grid and advance the state’s climate and clean energy goals.” Amount: $1,628,257.
Awards are conditional pending final U.S. Department of Energy review and finalization of contract negotiations. GEO anticipates receiving up to $4.4 million in future BIL funding for additional grid resilience projects in over the next two years.
“These grid resilience grants will fund strategic investments across Maine in important energy infrastructure, leading to increased reliability and better preparing our state for the impacts of climate change,” said Dan Burgess, Director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office. “Upgrades to the grid will not only mitigate storm impacts but will also modernize the state’s aging electrical infrastructure to deliver more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective clean electricity to Maine homes and businesses.”
“Communities across the country continue to be affected by the increase in extreme weather that threatens the reliability and affordability of electricity,” said Maria Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy.“From flooding to extreme temperatures, Grid Resilience Formula Grants are funding solutions that will combat the effects of extreme weather on local communities, while creating good paying jobs and increasing grid resilience across the country. We congratulate Maine on their strategic deployment of clean energy solutions that will keep the lights on for Maine residents, households, and businesses.”
“These critical investments in our state’s electrical grid will strengthen communities against future extreme storms and other climate change impacts while enabling new clean energy deployment and related job opportunities,” said Senator Mark Lawrence and Representative Paige Zeigler, co-chairs of the Maine Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology.
In addition to supporting grid resilience, the grant program seeks to support Maine’s climate and clean energy goals and further expand Maine’s clean energy economy, which currently employs over 15,000 people and contributed over $2.3 billion to the economy in 2022.
In May, Governor Mills signed an executive order to establish a new commission that will develop the State of Maine’s first plan for long-term infrastructure resilience, following the two devastating winter storms and a record eight storm-related Federal disaster declarations in Maine over the past two years.
The 24-member commission will engage with communities, industries, and organizations across Maine to understand challenges following storms, identify and bridge gaps in resources like funding, financing, and insurance, how to improve the resilience of energy systems, propose new approaches to improve disaster recovery and response, and strengthen resilience supports at the state, regional, and local levels.