The Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Tyler Gray announced today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has given final approval for and released $249 million in federal Infrastructure Investment and Job Act funds to support pilot projects in the state aimed at encouraging innovation in energy grid resilience and reliability for mission critical facilities in the state’s most vulnerable areas.
The Louisiana Hubs for Energy Resilient Energy Operation (HERO) program will be managed through DENR’s Office of Energy, drawing from DOE’s Grid Innovation Program (GRIP) that will invest up to $5 billion in innovation and new approaches to transmission, distribution, storage, and regional resilience. Louisiana’s HERO program will also draw from $249 million in matching commitments from state partners such as the Louisiana Public Service Commission, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, City of New Orleans, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy New Orleans, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Together Louisiana, University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Xavier University of Louisiana, including $22 million from the state general fund over the life of the eight-year project.
The HERO program will focus on supporting projects that use innovative approaches to transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure to enhance grid resilience and reliability. Though DOE initially announced the award amount in 2023, the funds were not released until DENR worked with DOE on final approval of projects the funding would be used to support.