Grid Resilience Grant Program
Santee Cooper is pleased to serve as the state entity within South Carolina to apply for, receive, and administer the formula grant provided under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Section 40101(d). We submitted our formal application on Dec. 8, 2022, after seeking public input about our proposed program and project objectives, metrics and other details. Santee Cooper plans to establish the South Carolina Grid Resilience Grant Program (GRG) and use BIL money to fund projects that improve the resilience of the electric grid against disruptive events. The BIL grant program is expected to provide funding for five years.
South Carolina is vulnerable to a multitude of natural hazards, ranging from hurricanes to ice storms. These hazards create significant risks to life, loss or damage to property, and damage to the electric grid. The duration of power disruptions that stem from these hazards can range from hours to weeks. The South Carolina Grid Resilience Grant Program intends to focus on projects that help prevent or mitigate such natural hazard disruptions.
Public Input and Next Steps
To be successful in our application we need input from potential applicants, stakeholders, and other interested parties about the draft Program and project objectives we’ve laid out, as well as our proposed approach to funding distribution and allocation criteria in line with BIL Section 40101(d).
Public Hearing
Santee Cooper hosted a virtual public hearing Nov. 7, 2022, to discuss our envisioned approach, project objectives and metrics, as well as criteria proposed for allocating funding distribution for grant subawards. We want input from eligible entities and other interested parties to help form an optimal and prudent submission.
Written Comments
Those who wish to submit written comments on the objectives, metrics and criteria outlined in our Draft Program Narrative may do so until 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2022.
Written comments may be emailed to gridresiliencegrant@santeecooper.com. Please use the following text in your subject line “Your Name/Organization 40101(d) written comments” and include either a Word or PDF attachment.
Reference Documents
Next Steps
- Written feedback is submitted to gridresiliencegrant@santeecooper.com by 5 p.m. on November 14.
- Santee Cooper completes review of input and finalizes the program narrative and other application components. We are targeting submission of our application to the DOE by Nov. 30.
- Santee Cooper issues an RFP for an independent, third-party consultant to administer the BIL 40101(d) program, evaluate proposed projects and award subgrants.
- Working with the consultant, Santee Cooper issues an RFP for subgrant proposals consistent with the program and project criteria outlined in the final narrative. The RFP will be sent to all 20 electric cooperatives and all municipal systems in South Carolina, along with any other eligible entity who indicates an interest in receiving the RFP or who registered for the Nov. 7 public input meeting. We anticipate this occurring in the first quarter of 2023, dependent upon DOE approval of our application.
Helpful Links
- South Carolina Emergency Management Division – Hazard Mitigation Plan
- “Biden Administration Announces $2.3 Billion for States and Tribes to Strengthen and Modernize America’s Power Grid.”
- Section 40101(d) Formula Grants to States & Indian Tribes information (National Energy Technology Laboratory)
- Allocation of Grant Funds to States and Indian Tribes (DOE Grid Deployment Office)
Questions and More Information
Should you have general questions about the application process or require more information, please email us at gridresiliencegrant@santeecooper.com. We will aim to respond within 48 hours. Thank you.