Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department will disperse funds to local projects

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico is among four states and two Tribal nations selected to receive the first round of funding from a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program designed to make the electric grid better able to withstand the impacts of natural disasters, even as the grid evolves to accommodate more renewable energy.

The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Program is funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program is expected to distribute a total of $2.3 billion over the next five years for projects that will boost the reliability of the nation's power infrastructure as communities work toward delivering on the Biden Administration's goal of 100 percent clean electricity across the country by 2035.

The DOE identified recipients of the first $50 million in program grants in late May. New Mexico received $14 million. The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants distribute funds to States, Territories, and federally recognized Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality's historical expenditures on mitigation efforts.

The other first-round grant recipients are:

Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians (California) ($182,000)
Louisiana ($16 million)
Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah) ($1.8 million)
North Dakota ($7.5 million)
South Carolina ($10 million)

The Energy Conservation and Management Division (ECMD) of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) will administer New Mexico's grant funds.

"Being part of the first group to receive funds under this program is a significant achievement," said 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."

ECMD will provide details on how local organizations can apply to have projects funded under its portion of the grant in the coming months.

"We will be looking for projects that can help reduce the number and duration of outages caused by extreme weather and other disruptive events while reinforcing the electric grid as we add more renewable energy resources," said Jeremy Lewis, ECMD's acting director. "These projects also should build resilience in local communities by modernizing critical electricity infrastructure."