Fairbury And Wymore Receive Electric Infrastructure Grants

By Gordon HopkinsBoth Fairbury and Wymore are beneficiaries of a program intended to upgrade electrical infrastructure, the Grid Resiliency Grant Program.The Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) has announced the award of over $15 million in grants to local communities to support critical infrastructure upgrades that will strengthen the reliability and resilience of Nebraska’s electric grid.Each community receiving funding is also contributing matching dollars to cover the remaining project costs, FairburyThe City of Fairbury will receive $855,049. Fairbury Mayor Kelly Davis made the announcement at a meeting of the City Council Tuesday evening, July 1.“So it's something that we've been working on for a long time,” said the mayor. “I signed that, DocuSigned, about six o'clock tonight.”The funds will be used to retire the existing 34.5kV line and install 1.5 miles of new, weather-resistant 34.5 kV line. The new line is anticipated to address existing system susceptibilities, improve reliability, guarantee system redundancies, and reduce system losses by increasing the line's thermal and transfer capacity.Mayor Davis noted the total cost of the project is anticipated to be $1,324,996, which will require matching funds of $469,947. WymoreThe City of Wymore will be receiving $381,143. The funds are intended to replace and rebuild critical infrastructure replacing and rebuilding aging H structure poles along the feed lines from the substation, upgrading existing transformers and adding additional transformers to meet load requirements.Reason for the Grants The program is designed to help utilities improve the reliability of Nebraska’s electrical grid, enhance the grid’s resilience in the face of extreme weather and other hazards, and to improve systems’ ability to recover after disruptive events and attacks. The grants received federal funds through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Electric Grid/Hazard Hardening Program. The program is supported by the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office as part of a nationwide effort to modernize and secure the country’s energy infrastructure.“Nebraskans rely on electricity every day in their homes, on their farms, and to run their businesses,” DWEE Director Jesse Bradley said. “That is why DWEE is proud to provide these grants that will help strengthen energy infrastructure so those customers can count on reliable electric service.”Awarded projects include replacing old power poles and transformers, improving substations, installing stronger and more efficient transmission lines, and using new technology to better monitor and manage the flow of electricity. Some projects will also move power lines underground to reduce the risk of outages.

DeWitt Fourth Of July

How Will Medicaid Changes Impact Rural Healthcare?

Related Articles

High Winds Fuel Multiple Wild Fires in SE Nebraska

Sen. Ricketts Makes the Case for War

City Offices Closed During Move

A Broken Wire Over Railroad Tracks Leaves City in the Dark