The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Will Facilitate Grid Resiliency
As U.S. power outages become increasingly common, revealing the deterioration of our nation’s electric grid, Congress recently passed President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which includes significant funding for grid modernization efforts.
In an article for the Electrical Contractor, Kevin Ludwig, associate vice president and technology portfolio manager for Black & Veatch, said the IIJA specifies funding for a range of necessary power system updates, including hardening power lines and substations, burying or relocating power lines, utility pole upgrades, incorporation of fire-resistant technologies, improved vegetation management and more.
As the money is rolled out for grid infrastructure improvements, power utilities will have plenty of grid modernization projects on their hands. As utilities seek to reinforce and protect assets, the IIJA will facilitate the large-scale modernization efforts necessary to increase resiliency, digitalization, energy storage and security measures.
“It all comes down to bolstering resilience,” Ludwig said the Electrical Contractor. “These investments will ensure that there is plenty of work to be done by utilities and their contractors to improve the reliability of our power grids."
