The West Virginia Office of Energy (WVOE) has opened applications for the $13.2 million West Virginia Resilience Planning Project (WVRPP). The program will grid modernization projects statewide, with applications accepted on a rolling basis.
The federally funded program will provide critical support to prop up the state’s energy systems, prioritizing efforts to increase electric grid resilience and mitigate disruptive events. Projects should align with and accomplish one or more of the program’s goals to develop an all-hazards approach to enhancing grid resilience. These include decreasing power outage length and time, developing a workforce to implement advanced grid resilience technology and identifying outdated and unreliable infrastructure and integrate hardening technology.
Eligible applicants include:
Electric grid operators.
Electricity storage operator.
Electricity generators.
Transmission owners or operators.
Distribution providers.
Fuel suppliers.
Relevant entities with approval from the Department of Energy (DOE).
The WVRPP Request for Proposals (RFP) includes a list of eligible projects intended to achieve these objectives. These may include installing weatherization technologies and equipment, fire-resistant technologies and fire prevention systems and monitoring and control technologies. Additional solutions may include undergrounding electrical equipment, managing utility poles, installing advanced conductors and relocating or reconductoring power lines.
Additional initiatives worthy of consideration include any that address vegetation and fuel-load management. Other projects may include those that use or build infrastructure – such as microgrids and battery-storage subcomponents – that improve system adaptive capacity during disruptive events.
Finally, the state will consider projects that implement adaptive protection and advanced modeling technologies, replace old overhead conductors and underground cables and harden power lines, facilities, substations or other systems. The state will also provide awards for developing a skilled workforce to handle all relevant projects.
All applicants will be required to provide a cost match for awards. Entities that sell more than 4 million megawatt-hour per year (MWh/year) must offer a 100% match, while those that sell less than 4 million MWh/year will only need to provide a 33% match. Around 10% of the program will be set aside for entities that sell less than 4 million MWh/year. The program will ensure at least 40% of projects will benefit customers in Appalachian Regional Commission at-risk and distressed areas.
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