Local Legislators Announce Over $3.5 Million in Funding to Strengthen Rural Electric Grid

HARRISBURG - Over $3.5 million in grants to improve electric grid reliability have been awarded to local electric distribution companies through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) 2024 Pennsylvania Grid Resilience Grants (PA GRG) program, according to Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23), Rep. Clint Owlett (R-68) and Rep. Tina Pickett (R-110).

"Outages caused by disruptions to the electric grid can have a disastrous impact, especially in rural areas," Yaw said. "Our constituents depend on reliable and efficient energy to power their homes, businesses and day-to-day lives. I'm pleased to see this significant investment in helping our local electric companies keep the lights on at an affordable cost."

"Residents of the Northern Tier deserve reliable infrastructure, including the electricity that powers our homes, and this investment will go a long way toward preventing power outages and reducing the duration of the ones that do occur," Owlett said. "It is encouraging to see this sort of investment being made in support of our rural residents and communities."

"This funding is vital to our essential rural electric companies and their reliability," Pickett said. "The areas served are often remote and more prone to circumstances that can cause outages in difficult-to-pinpoint locations. These grants will help Claverack and Tri-County keep their very valuable electrical service operational a greater percentage of the time for customers in the Northern Tier."

Grants totaling $3,577, 748 were awarded to the following electric distribution companies in Bradford and Tioga counties.

• Wellsboro Electric Company -$500,548 for the installation of advanced grid technology to rapidly detect, isolate, and restore power for all 6,445 customers served.

• Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative - $2,145,000 for the installation of advanced satellite imagery and machine learning technology to provide comprehensive visibility of 2,800 miles of power lines. Additionally, over 50 smart grid devices will be implemented to increase control and visibility.

• Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative - $932,200 for the installation of smart grid technology and substation hardening to improve reliability and resilience. The project will give system operators a real-time, accurate visualization of the entire distribution grid remotely to troubleshoot and prevent system issues.

The PA GRG Program is funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grant Program. This funding is available for eligible resilience measures intended to mitigate the impact of electric grid disruptive events.

For more state-related news and information, constituents can visit Senator Yaw's website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com, Rep. Owlett's website at www.RepOwlett.com or Rep. Pickett's website at www.RepPickett.com.

CONTACT:
Elizabeth Weitzel (Sen. Yaw)
717-787-3280

Patricia Hippler (Rep. Owlett)
717-772-9846

Andy Briggs (Rep. Pickett)
717-260-6474

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.