A federal government initiative has been launched to modernize the US energy grid and increase its resilience

The Biden-Harris administration launched the federal Modern Power Grid Deployment Initiative on May 28 to improve the efficiency, reliability and resiliency of the U.S. power grid.

As part of this initiative, 21 states have committed to prioritizing modern networking solutions: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina , Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

The focus is on implementing advanced conductor and network improvement technologies that increase transmission capacity and efficiency. This approach aims to integrate renewable energy sources faster and more cost-effectively.

The initiative promotes collaboration between federal entities, states, utilities and stakeholders to address issues such as increased load growth, aging infrastructure and the impacts of climate change. The Department of Energy (DOE) and other federal agencies provide technical and financial assistance through programs such as the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program and the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program.

To accelerate project development, new categorical exemptions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) simplify the environmental review process for transmission upgrades. Investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act (BIL) support network improvements and job creation.

The Justice40 initiative ensures that 40% of the benefits of federal climate and clean energy investments reach disadvantaged communities. Additionally, the initiative plans to upgrade 300,000 km of existing transmission lines with advanced technologies over the next five years, with the aim of reducing utility bills and increasing network resilience.