NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The United States Department of Energy has awarded the state of New Mexico $14 million to modernize the electric grid. The state is among four states and two Tribal nations that have been selected for this first round of funding. The award aims to enable electric grids in the United States better withstand natural disasters.
The funds are provided by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the program plans to distribute $2.3 billion in projects toward electric grid resilience over the next five years. The grant’s funds are distributed to states, territories, and federally recognized Native Tribes based on population size, land area, probability of disruptive events, and more.
First Round Grant Recipients
- $182,000 to the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians in California
- $16 million in Louisiana
- $1.8 million to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah
- $7.5 million in North Dakota
- $10 million in South Carolina
The Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) will administer the funds allotted to New Mexico. The Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECMD) will explain to the organization how they can have their projects funded under the grant in the coming months.
“Being part of the first group to receive funds under this program is a significant achievement,”
says EMNRD Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst. “It reflects well on the strides we have already
made in introducing renewable energy into our state’s power mix while also working to
modernize the electric grid and allows us to build on that progress.”
