Avista lands $85.6 million grant from feds

Avista Utilities is among three Evergreen State utilities will get a total of $208.4 million in federal grants to harden electrical infrastructure against natural disasters.

The funds, including $85.6 million for Avista, come from the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, which is a measure authored in part by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, to bring $10.5 billion to helping utilities upgrade their facilities.

“A smarter grid is a more efficient and reliable grid, and key to meeting our region’s need for 30% more affordable electricity over the next decade,” Cantwell said in a news release. “Upgrading transmission lines with technologies like sensors and advanced controls will not only help prevent wildfires but also keep the lights on during extreme weather and natural disasters.”

Avista received the money to cover about half the cost of the Lolo-Oxbow Transmission Upgrade and Optimization Project, according to the release. The funds will help Avista and Idaho Power Company reconstruct power line connections in mountainous regions using lines that are more resistant to wildfires.

The funds will also allow the utilities to deploy advanced technology to improve the flow of power and capacity for the whole region, and it will enable the Nez Perce Tribe to increase its capacity for renewable energy generation on its reservation, according to the release.