(The Center Square) — The federal government awarded $249.1 million to the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority for regional grid improvements focused on the state’s remote communities.
The money is from the U.S. Department of Energy’s $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Georgia grid project is a partnership between GEFA, Oglethorpe Power, Georgia System Operations, Green Power EMC and Georgia Transmission Corp. The roughly $250 million is part of more than $3.4 billion the federal DOE announced Thursday for 58 projects in 44 states.
“Georgia’s continued growth and prosperity depends on reliable and affordable energy,” GEFA Executive Director Hunter Hill said in an announcement. “As the State Energy Office, we are committed to doing our part to help make that happen. This public-private partnership will help build a resilient energy future for Georgia.”
GEFA and its partners said the proposed roughly $507 million in grid projects — including battery storage investments, new transmission lines and advanced grid control systems to improve system resilience — will benefit rural and underserved communities across the state. The recipients will cover the remaining $258 million.
“As the energy landscape continues to evolve and our reliance on electricity increases, Georgia Transmission will use the funding provided by this grant to increase reliability and resiliency through advanced microgrid technology and infrastructure upgrades,” Georgia Transmission President & CEO Barbara Hampton said in an announcement.
