Grants Awarded to Strengthen Rural Electric Grid, Prevent Outages

The state Department of Environmental Protection awarded more than $15 million in grants to electric distribution companies to improve electric grid reliability and resilience. The grants are targeted to areas with a history of frequent and/or prolonged outages in 18 mainly rural counties that will benefit more than 57,000 residents.  

Electric cooperatives serving rural populations in primarily northern counties are the primary beneficiaries of these grants, with projects expected to significantly reduce outage time for customers. Note that some affected townships should expect to see major vegetation removal or tree trimming projects along township roads. Additional grant rounds will be funded through this state program that is federally funded. Click here to learn about the individual projects and how customers will benefit.