An aerial view shows high voltage power lines on May 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Maine is receiving a $65 million federal grant to enhance the state’s electrical grid and help deliver affordable, clean energy.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced in a Friday news release it is awarding the money to a new collaboration between the Governor’s Energy Office, Versant Power and Central Maine Power. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the project, known as Flexible Interconnections and Resilience for Maine, will deploy new software and hardware to regulate voltage and increase transmission capacity on existing lines.
“A strong, modern electrical grid is essential for unlocking affordable, reliable, clean energy for Maine people,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office.
These improvements will allow CMP and Versant to integrate renewable energy sources in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. New technology will help connect more clean energy to the grid, while protecting it from overloading. There will also be better voltage control for more flexible management of intermittent power sources like wind and solar.
And the upgrades should allow for efficient, automated flow of more clean energy through the grid while lowering interconnection costs, the release said.
Outside of the grid itself, the money will help advance Gov. Janet Mills’ goal of creating 30,000 clean energy jobs by 2030. The project is predicted to create and support more than 200 jobs with about half of them being construction jobs. It also aims to support hundreds more apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships.
This grant adds to the more than $215 million Maine has already received in federal grants this year for clean energy, including $147 million to support a long-duration energy storage system in Lincoln.
“The project in Maine is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create a more modern and dynamic grid that can support the integration of distributed and renewable energy resources, while ensuring customers in Maine have access to affordable, reliable electricity,” said Maria Robinson, director of the Grid Deployment Office for the U.S. Department of Energy.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.