Gillibrand Announces $27 Million In Federal Funding For Delaware County Electric Cooperative As Part Of The Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships[...]

Gillibrand Announces $27 Million In Federal Funding For Delaware County Electric Cooperative As Part Of The Department of Energy's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program

Oct 18, 2024

Funding Will Improve Grid Resiliency Against Strong Storms And Invasive Species In Rural Areas Of New York

Today, Senator Gillibrand announced $27,681,725 in federal funding for the Delaware County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (DCEC). DCEC provides electricity to over 5,000 families, farms, and local businesses in four New York counties - Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie. With this funding, awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, DCEC will lead a partnership composed of six small electric cooperatives to increase grid resilience against outages caused by weather events and tree damage caused by invasive species. This partnership will also serve the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Orange, Schuyler, and Steuben, in addition to rural areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"Strong energy infrastructure is critical to the stability of our rural communities, especially given the threats that extreme weather and invasive species pose," said Senator Gillibrand."This funding will create good-paying union jobs and deploy advanced technology to support rural communities. I am proud to have voted to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and fought to secure this funding. I will continue working to make sure that New Yorkers have reliable access to strong energy infrastructure."

As DCEC works to improve New York's grids, it will deploy advanced software to enable proactive grid management, as well as hardware such as grid sensors and drones to provide real-time data and monitoring capabilities. The new technology is anticipated to improve grid reliability and resilience, reducing major outage events by 50%, and help save the local economy millions of dollars per year in outage costs. DCEC will work with five other small electric cooperatives, including Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative, Otsego Electric Cooperative, Inc., Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

This project will also create an estimated 20 jobs, many of which will be high-quality union positions, and will leverage a workforce career training center that is under development in collaboration with the State University of New York-Delhi.

"The rural electric cooperatives of New York are not-for-profit distribution companies and serve some of the areas hardest hit by the impacts of extreme weather and invasive species,"saidJohn Gasstrom, CEO of DCEC. "This grant will enable the co-ops to make resiliency improvements to ensure that we continue to deliver safe and sustainable electricity to our members who rely on it. We also appreciate the support and encouragement we have received from Senator Gillibrand in bringing this funding to the electric cooperatives as we find solutions together to meet our energy challenges and goals."

"At Otsego Electric Cooperative, we believe in forward-thinking solutions that safeguard our grid and enhance reliability for rural communities,"said Tim Johnson, CEO of Otsego Electric Cooperative. "This project represents a vital step toward building a resilient electric network that can withstand future challenges while supporting sustainable growth. We are especially grateful for the Beneficial Electrification League's detailed support and expertise throughout the application process."

This project is part of a $2 billion U.S. Department of Energy investment in 38 projects across 42 states and the District of Columbia to protect the U.S. power grid against growing threats of extreme weather, all funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's GRIP program. The selected projects will lower costs for communities and enable additional grid capacity to meet load growth stemming from an increase in manufacturing and other strains on the electric grid. The selected projects will deploy new, innovative transmission and distribution infrastructure and technology upgrades to enable over 7.5 gigawatts (GW) of grid capacity.

Earlier this year, Senator Gillibrand wrote to Secretary Granholm in support of DCEC's funding application. Senator Gillibrand's letter can be read below:

Dear Secretary Granholm,

I write in support of the application submitted by the Delaware County Electric Cooperative (DCEC) for funding from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Grant Program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. This funding will be used to improve grid resiliency against strong storms and invasive species in rural areas of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Established in 1942, DCEC provides electricity to more than 5,200 families, farms, and local businesses across Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties. For a larger project that will enhance the protection of local electric grids, DCEC plans to partner with the Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative, Otsego Electric Cooperative, Inc., Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. These five other non-profit electric cooperatives collectively serve tens of thousands of members across Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chenango, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schuyler, andSteuben Counties in New York.

The requested funding will be used to safeguard rural electric grids from invasive species and intense storms that are causing long-lasting power outages and hurting rural economies. For instance, DCEC has experienced four multi-day power outages since December 2023 due to the proliferation of emerald ash borer-infested trees, which have toppled powerlines, coupled with the increasing threat of extreme weather conditions and other natural hazards. The six electric cooperatives' proposed project will deliver much-needed upgrades to rural electric grids in three states and enable load growth that the region's aging electric infrastructure has otherwise constrained. In addition, the project promises to benefit more than 43,000 customers, stimulate regional economic growth, and bring approximately 20 high-quality, clean-energy jobs to areas where the loss of coal power plant and rail jobs, along with a decline in employment opportunities for supporting industries and services, has led to the displacement of the working-age population and high levels of poverty.

I ask that you please give this application your full consideration. If you have any questions or desire further information, please do not hesitate to contact my staff at (202) 224-4451.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Senator

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