Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide grants to States (including U.S. Territories) and Indian Tribes under the Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program to improve the resilience of electric grids. States and Indian Tribes may further allocate funds to "eligible entities."

Eligible Entities

• an electric grid operator
• an electricity storage operator
• an electricity generator
• a transmission owner or operator
• a distribution provider
• a fuel supplier
• any other relevant entity, as determined by the Secretary

The objective of this Program is to improve the resilience of the electric grid against disruptive events. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) section 40101(a)(1) defines a disruptive event as "an event in which operations of the electric grid are disrupted, preventively shut off, or cannot operate safely due to extreme weather, wildfire, or a natural disaster." To achieve this objective, funding provided under this Program may be used to implement a wide range of resilience measures intended to mitigate the impact of disruptive events.

Entities ineligible for the Grid Resilience Formula Grant may be eligible for alternative grid-related programs funded by U.S. DOE. The U.S. DOE Grid and Transmission Program Conductor provides additional information to help identify relevant funding or financing programs. 

Eligible Resilience Measures

• weatherization technologies and equipment
• fire-resistant technologies and fire prevention systems
• monitoring and control technologies
• the undergrounding of electrical equipment
•  utility pole management
• the relocation of power lines or the reconductoring of power lines with low-sag, advanced conductors
• vegetation and fuel-load management
• the use or construction of distributed energy resources for enhancing system adaptive capacity during disruptive events, including microgrids and battery-storage subcomponents
• adaptive protection technologies
• advanced modeling technologies
• hardening of power lines, facilities, substations, of other systems
• the replacement of old overhead conductors and underground cables

Funding may also be used for the training, recruitment, retention, and reskilling of skilled and properly credentialed workers in order to perform the work required for the particular resilience measures to be funded under the Program. Additionally, of the amounts made available under the Program each fiscal year, the State or Indian Tribe may use up to 5% for providing technical assistance and administrative expenses associated with the Program.

Application for Funding

IIJA Section 40101(d)(2)(B) provides that plans prepared by States or Indian Tribes for purposes of an application for funding under this Program shall (i) describe the criteria and methods that will be used by the State or Indian Tribe to award grants to eligible entities; (ii) be adopted after notice and a public hearing; and (iii) describe the proposed funding distributions and recipients of the grants to be provided by the State or Indian Tribe.

The State of Tennessee’s plan, or Program Narrative, for the Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program was submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy on April 24, 2023, as part of an application for Year 1 and Year 2 formula funding under this program, with formula allocations as follows:

• Tennessee’s Year 1 Allocation = $7,614,436
• Tennessee’s Year 2 Allocation = $7,591,534

View the State of Tennessee Program Narrative.

TDEC OEP held a public hearing on September 15, 2022, regarding the utilization of the State of Tennessee's Year 1 allocation of $7,614,436 under the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program. In addition to providing an overview of this Program and various related compliance requirements, TDEC OEP reviewed the criteria and methods the State of Tennessee anticipates using to grant awards to eligible entities and potential approaches for distributing funding (e.g., formula grants and competitive grants). TDEC OEP accepted written and verbal public comment on the draft plan through COB on October 17, 2022, at 5 pm CDT. 

View the Presentation from the public hearing.

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Informational Webinar

Public Hearing Recording

Due to a technical error, the first eight minutes covering the first ten slides were not recorded. A PDF of the presentation can be accessed here or in the Resources tab below.