The U.S. Energy Dept. on April 27 made $8.25 billion in federal loans available to upgrade and expand the country's electric grid to increase its capacity to move electricity from renewable sources of power and make the grid more resilient. The program includes $3.25 billion for western states and $2 billion earmarked for tribal lands.
The loan guarantees are available through two DOE programs that finance innovative transmission projects at commercial scale using first deployments of a new technologies. To be eligible, innovative projects also must avoid, reduce or sequester greenhouse or air pollutant emissions. Tribal loans are available to wholly or majority owned federal recognized tribes or Alaska Native corporations.