WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana will benefit from a $609 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) investment to improve grid reliability and resilience from his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Southern Spirit will receive $360 million for the construction of a new 320-mile, bidirectional transmission line to allow sharing between grids in Texas and Mississippi. Louisiana’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources will receive $249 million from DOE’s Grid Innovation Program for the Louisiana Hubs for Energy Resilient Energy Operation (HERO) program.
“A strong power grid ensures reliable electricity, protection from outages, and more job opportunities for people in Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. “The infrastructure law is providing the funds needed to keep our lights on when the next storm hits.”
The new Southern Spirit line is estimated to deliver 3,000 MW of capacity. Southern Spirit plans to build the next-generation grid that can provide the attributes necessary for increased reliability and economic development. The Louisiana HERO program will focus on supporting projects that use innovative approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure to enhance grid resilience and reliability.
In total, the IIJA includes $65 billion to bolster American energy and strengthen the electrical grid.
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