Deploying More Clean Energy, Lowering Costs, and Creating Union Jobs
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) announced over $300 million for two Louisiana projects 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 championed, these projects will provide cheap, clean electricity to Louisiana and ensure our communities have a reliable grid 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 implementing 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 and 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 the Biden Administration for the vote of confidence to expand the innovative resilience work pioneered here in New Orleans.”