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Grid Resilience Program

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Overview

The Office of Energy Innovation (OEI) established the Grid Resilience Program with funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The program supports activities to meet the following objectives. 

  • Objective 1: Invest in the modernization and hardening of Wisconsin’s electric grid to reduce the likelihood, consequences, and impacts of extreme weather, wildfire, and natural disasters.
  • Objective 2: Reduce the frequency and duration of service disruptions in disadvantaged communities.
  • ​Objective 3: Increase the skilled workforce supporting resilience-related activities in Wisconsin.

Who is eligible to apply ​

The following applicants whose projects meet the program’s objectives are eligible to apply.

  • Electric grid operator

  • Electricity storage operator

  • Electricity generator

  • Transmission owner or operator

  • Distribution provider

  • Fuel supplier​

​​​Additional Grant Details
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​Currently accepting applications
Yes.

OEI opened the inaugural grant round of this program on November 16, 2023.

Applications MUST be date and time stamped by the PSC Grant System on or before 1:30 PM CT on February 16, 2024. 
Matching Funds Required​
Yes.
  • Small utility applicants: 50 percent
  • All other applicants: 116 percent​
​Docket Number
 9713-FG-2022
EZ e-Subscribe​
​Contact Information

PSC Grants System

To apply for a PSC administered grant, applicants must submit an application using the PSC Grants System. Use the application material below for details on grant eligibility, instructions on application responses, and required documentation when submitting an application in the PSC Grants System.

PSC GRANTS SYSTEM LOGINGRANTS SYSTEM USER'S GUIDE

Application Materials

The following are the materials required to apply for the ​Grid Resilience Program:​

Web​​inars

Register for the November 29, 10-11:30 AM CT, Program Application Instructions webinar​: Webinar Registration Link

​​Resources for Grant Applicants

O​EI Map​

The OEI Map provides applicants with relevant information as they prepare OEI Grant Applications. The map layers include: ​

  • Disadvantaged and Tribal Communities
  • W​isconsin Rural Counties and Zip Codes​​
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Risk Index
  • Electric Utility Service Territories
  • Municipal and County ​Boundaries​
OEI M​ap

Federal Details for Grid Resilience Program

For more details on the federal program funding this grant, ​visit National Energy Technology Laboratory Grants Page.​​​​​​​

​Types of Eligible Activities

Applicants must demonstrate that their projects fall into one or more of the eligible activities, as identified in IIJA Section 40101(e)(1). The Commission has identified the following eligible activities as priority activities in the inaugural grant round:

  • Weatherization technologies and equipment
  • Fire-resistant technologies and fire prevention systems
  • Monitoring and control technologies
  • Use or construction of distributed energy resources for enhancing system adaptive capacity during disruptive events (including microgrids and battery-storage subcomponents)
  • Adaptive protection technologies
  • Hardening of power lines, facilities, substations, and other systems
  • Training, recruitment, retention, and reskilling of skilled and properly credentialled workers in order to perform the work required for the particular resilience activities in this program

The following activities are also eligible for consideration in the inaugural grant round:

  • Undergrounding of electrical equipment
  • Utility pole management
  • Relocation of power lines or the reconductoring of power lines with low-sag, advanced conductors
  • Vegetation and fuel-load management
  • Advanced modeling technologies
  • Replacement of old overhead conductors and underground cables​​

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