<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3PLXp3_0wCleWZI00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3PLXp3_0wCleWZI00" width="537" height="428" ><figcaption>Courtesy of W.G. Clark</figcaption></figure>Puget Sound Energy’s Skagit River Valley Transformation for Climate Resiliency project has been selected for a $45 million grant issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program.The grant gives PSE the funds to carry out strategic system undergrounding to prevent service interruptions, establish situational-awareness technologies for faster response times, and add microgrid and black-start capabilities to restore service quickly using zero-carbon hydropower from the Baker River Hydroelectric Project, a release from PSE said. “This funding accelerates a critical, multipronged project in an area of our service territory that has historically experienced lower electric-service reliability, and is increasingly prone to climate-worsened disasters such as wildfires, floods, and severe storms,” said Mary Kipp, president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy, in the release. “We believe this project can deliver significant reliability and resiliency impacts for PSE’s customers, tribal communities, and disadvantaged communities in the Skagit River Valley.” The PSE Skagit River Valley project is forecasted to be finished over a four-year timeline ending in late 2029. With this $45 million GRIP grant, PSE can invest in innovative technologies and infrastructure to upgrade electric-service reliability and avert disruptions. PSE will also be able to support economic development with refined resiliency, job creation, and preapprenticeship opportunities, the release said. PSE has worked closely with Skagit County, the Town of Concrete, the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, Apprenticeship &amp; Non-Traditional Employment for Women, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Bellingham Technical College, and the University of Washington as project participants. Some of this work will be done in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as part of the project and the grant-application development process, the release said.“As extreme weather events continue to stress electric systems across the country, the Biden-Harris Administration is using every tool in the toolbox to make sure America’s power grid can provide reliable, affordable power,” said Maria Robinson, director of Grid Deployment Office, in the release. “The Puget Sound Energy project will strategically underground and implement microgrids and advanced grid technologies to increase grid resilience in highly vulnerable communities that are increasingly challenged by weather disasters.” The Grid Deployment Office’s mission is to mobilize the development of new or upgraded electric infrastructure across the nation by maintaining and investing in essential generation facilities, developing and improving high-capacity electric transmission lines, and installing transmission and distribution technology, the release said.</div></body>

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Bellevue's PSE Awarded $45M for Reliability, Resiliency in Skagit River Valley

Puget Sound Energy’s Skagit River Valley Transformation for Climate Resiliency project has been selected for a $45 million grant issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program. The grant gives PSE the funds to carry out strategic system undergrounding to prevent service interruptions,...