This infrastructure funding is an important step as electric co-ops work to harden systems against wildfires and enhance the reliability of the grid.

Your Cooperative recently received $2,611,779 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enhance wildfire protection and resilience in the communities it serves by making critical upgrades to its electric system in the Essex area.

Flathead Electric is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding via the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, which is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office. The consortium is called the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project (WARN).

Wildfire Risk Map – Red x’s mark hazard trees along FEC power lines. CWDG and GRIP Grant funding will help pay for the software that targets these trees, as well as the necessary tree work. Color overlays on satellite imagery represent different areas of wildfire risk, which helps your co-op staff see how those areas interact with the electric distribution system.

FEC will put its GRIP funding for the WARN project to work in the Essex area, improving the reliability of its radial electric distribution system in a heavily forested area that is frequently challenged by tree-caused power outages which have the potential to ignite a wildfire. The funds will support a complete system trim of trees immediately adjacent to that area’s power lines. The system trim will be aided by satellite imagery that can identify trees likely to contact power lines. The GRIP grant will also allow FEC to install a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to provide backup power to Essex during outages.

Led by Holy Cross Energy in coordination with NRECA Research, WARN projects received more than $145 million in GRIP funding for wildfire mitigation projects at co-ops across 16 states in the central and western United States to drive energy resilience in high-risk rural areas.

“Electric cooperatives are focused on leveraging innovative solutions to meet tomorrow’s energy needs,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson.

“This infrastructure funding is an important step as electric co-ops work to harden systems against wildfires and enhance the reliability of the grid. These projects hold tremendous potential for local communities as their co-ops unlock new ways to use technology to help mitigate wildfires and keep the lights on.”

Working together, consortium Co-op members will share lessons learned, expertise, and provide real-world data to create an advanced analysis tool to identify the likely impacts of utility-ignited wildfires on regional electricity supplies and local communities.

Mark Johnson, CEO and General Manager of Flathead Electric Co-op, added, “Flathead’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan is at the heart of our robust safety efforts for members and for the electric distribution system. Earlier this year, we were awarded $10M in Community Wildfire Defense Grant funding to support our wildfire mitigation efforts from Columbia Falls to West Glacier. The additional $2.6M in GRIP funding for the WARN project allows us to continue that mitigation work from West Glacier to Essex. These funds tie together most of the Canyon landscape and help to better protect members in this remote and heavily treed area, as well as critical infrastructure that matters to all members, such as gas and power lines, railroad tracks, and U.S. Highway 2.”

Courtney Stone

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