Texas Gets $60 Million in Federal Funds To Strengthen Power Grid Against Extreme Weather
The Texas Division of Emergency Management was granted $60.6 million from the federal government to help strengthen the electrical grid. This was done in order to make sure there are no future power outages due to extreme weather conditions. This program was started by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
According to CBS Texas, state emergency officials will develop parameters for how to use the money. The funds could go toward programs such as trimming trees around power lines or improving how equipment functions in extreme heat or cold, for example.
The TDEM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Grid resilience has been top of mind for Texans since the 2021 winter storm forced power grid operators to call for electricity cuts to millions in the state. Hundreds of people died as the freezing weather took hold and residents could no longer heat their homes.
Texas legislators later required power generators to better prepare their equipment for extreme weather, but recent storms have shown the ongoing vulnerability of the transmission system.
A winter storm in late January and early February knocked out power in various parts of the state, including Austin, where tree limbs weighed down with ice fell onto power lines. Severe storms in June took out power lines in East Texas.
The Department of Energy plans to give out $2.3 billion over the next five years to states, territories and tribes to address power grid resilience issues.
