U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, announced Louisiana will benefit from a $609 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) investment to improve grid reliability and resilience from the 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.”