The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced an investment of $430m in hydroelectric power projects to upgrade the country’s hydropower infrastructure.
Granted as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the funding will be allocated to 293 projects across 33 states. This will help to revamp ageing hydropower facilities, which have been in operation for an average of 79 years.
Managed by the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives programme is set to improve dam safety.
Besides, the investment is designed to bolster grid resilience at 215 facilities and preserve approximately 6,000 jobs at hydropower facilities, along with contractors and vendors.
The selected projects will address several critical needs. They will enhance grid resilience by updating turbines and generators, control systems, and penstocks.
To improve dam safety, the projects will include upgrades to ageing infrastructure, emergency spillways, and water conveyance systems. Environmental and recreational improvements will also be a focus, according to the DOE.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said: “As our earliest form of renewable energy generation, hydropower has reliably kept America running for almost 150 years—and the Biden-Harris Administration is ensuring these long-standing facilities can continue the steady flow of clean power.
“Today’s funding will expand and modernise our hydropower fleet, while protecting thousands of American jobs.”
According to the DOE, hydropower accounts for about 27% of the US renewable electricity generation and 93% of all utility-scale energy storage. However, many facilities in the sector are in need of significant repairs and upgrades.
The DOE also offers Hydroelectric Production Incentives for electricity generated and sold by qualified facilities, and Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives to increase power generation from existing resources.
Last month, the DOE announced plans to invest $2.2bn in the country’s power grid for eight projects across 18 states to safeguard against rising threats of extreme weather events.
