Congressman Carter Celebrates $300 Million Investment in Louisiana’s Electric Grid

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) announced over $300 million for two Louisiana projects which he championed that will boost the resilience and reliability of electrical grid infrastructure and deliver affordable, clean energy. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Rep. Carter voted for and helped craft, these projects will deliver affordable, clean electricity to Louisiana and ensure that our communities have a reliable grid that is prepared for extreme weather worsened by the climate crisis.

“The GRIP program is bringing real results to Louisiana by addressing critical infrastructure challenges,” said Rep. Carter. “We aren’t just fortifying our state’s electric grid against the escalating impacts of climate change, we are also fostering community resilience and committing to social equity. This funding is a beacon of progress, demonstrating a comprehensive and inclusive approach to modernizing infrastructure for a sustainable and resilient future. Louisiana continues to experience the positive impacts of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I will continue to partner with Secretary Granholm and the Biden-Harris Administration on the implementation of these transformative investments.”

The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program funds activities to modernize the electric grid which will reduce the impacts of natural disasters and extreme weather worsened by climate change; increase the flexibility, efficiency, and reliability of the electric power system with a particular focus on unlocking more solar, wind, and other clean energy and reducing faults that may lead to wildfires; and improve reliability by deploying innovative approaches to electricity transmission, storage, and distribution.

“Extreme weather events fueled by climate change will continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission systems, but President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will ensure America’s power grid can provide reliable, affordable power,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Today’s announcement represents the largest-ever direct investment in critical grid infrastructure, supporting projects that will harden systems, improve energy reliability and affordability—all while generating union jobs for highly skilled workers.”

"These awards for Entergy New Orleans and the State of Louisiana mark a major, positive step for our community following the destruction and long-term outages from Hurricane Ida just over two years ago,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This federal funding will allow Entergy to strengthen our grid infrastructure in the face of increasingly stronger storms, while adding critical solar backup storage power. Funding for the State's HERO project will expand residential access to critical solar-powered resilience hubs, including at City and NORD facilities. I want to thank our partners in Louisiana's Federal Delegation who voted to make this funding available, and to the Biden Administration for the vote of confidence to expand the innovative resilience work being pioneered here in New Orleans.”

Background

The GRIP Program seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office, the GRIP program leverages federal and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that's prepared for extreme weather while also delivering affordable, clean energy and creating robust local opportunities for economic investment and jobs.

In Louisiana, the two projects chosen will focus on better positioning disadvantaged communities to withstand extreme weather. The state of Louisiana will launch a strategic initiative with 15 government entities, energy companies, and community and academic institutions to enhance statewide emergency response operations by deploying a network of Community Resilience Hubs powered by distributed energy resources microgrids. These microgrids can stand alone or integrate with utility-owned electric grid infrastructure and back-up generation assets.

Under a separate project, Entergy New Orleans will enhance the local grid’s resilience to severe weather, including hardening existing transmission lines and distribution systems to reduce outage frequency and duration. It will also deploy a battery backup project that will reduce energy bills for disadvantaged communities.

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