Governor Kelly Announces More than $17M Investment for Energy Grid Resiliency

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today that 11 Kansas communities have secured more than $17 million for energy grid resilience. This investment combines nearly $12 million in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s 40101(d) Grid Resilience Grant Program and more than $5.8 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund.

“By leveraging federal funds to supplement our state and local investments, we are strengthening opportunities for economic growth across Kansas,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “The 40101(d) Grid Resiliency program ensures our communities have the resources to build, operate, or maintain critical infrastructure.”

“The survival and economic development of our rural communities are dependent on a solid infrastructure,” said Representative Troy Waymaster, chair of the Build Kansas Fund Advisory Committee. “The awards made through the Build Kansas Fund Advisory Committee, and ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, ensure that these communities will continue to thrive. I am glad these eleven Kansas projects were selected for this program.”

 The 11 Kansas projects receiving grid resiliency funding are:

• City of Garden City – Underground Conductor and Transformer Replacement
  • Build Kansas Funding – $302,590
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $626,048
  • Total Project – $928,638
• City of Pratt – Substation Hardening
  • Build Kansas Funding – $1,034,551
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $2,140,449
  • Total Project – $3,175,000

• Victory Electric – South Dodge City Grid Resiliency
  • Build Kansas Funding – $715,395
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $1,480,129
  • Total Project – $2,195,524

• Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative – Resiliency Enhancements to Strategically Transfer Optimized Reliable Energy
  • Build Kansas Funding – $200,403
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $414,627
  • Total Project – $615,030

• Ark Valley Electric Cooperative – System Resiliency Project
  • Build Kansas Funding – $235,421
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $487,079
  • Total Project – $722,500

• Holton Electric – Transformer and Feeder Circuit Improvements
  • Build Kansas Funding – $796,360
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $1,647,640
  • Total Project – $2,444,000

• City of Blue Mound – Substation, Electric Line & Pole Replacement
  • Build Kansas Funding – $175,603
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $270,071
  • Total Project – $445,674

• City of Anthony– Circuit Reconstruction
  • Build Kansas Funding – $131,161
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $271,369
  • Total Project – $402,530

• Pioneer Electric Cooperative – Grid Resiliency, Vulnerability, and Innovation Initiative
  • Build Kansas Funding – $1,575,449
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $3,259,551
  • Total Project – $4,835,000

• City of Horton – Substation Upgrade
  • Build Kansas Funding – $529,494
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $1,095,506
  • Total Project – $1,625,000

• City of Attica – Rebuild High-Voltage Feeder Line
  • Build Kansas Funding – $143,371
  • Federal Funding Awarded – $296,629
  • Total Project – $440,000

“The importance of grid resiliency cannot be overstated,” said Rick Pemberton, energy division director for the Kansas Corporation Commission. “Safe and reliable power infrastructure is vital to our rural economy.”

“Rural Kansas communities do not always have the funding needed to meet the match requirements of large federal grants,” said Matthew Volz, P.E., executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub. “Having the Build Kansas Fund available can make all the difference in whether or not they can apply for these lucrative federal funding opportunities.”

In addition to these awards, in recent months, the Build Kansas Fund has been used to leverage federal grant awards in the cities of Ozawkie, Manhattan, Russell, Concordia, Dodge City, Topeka, Nortonville, Ellsworth, Edgerton, Hutchinson, Independence; Coffey and Morton County; Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District; and the Salina Airport Authority. The combined total investment by the Build Kansas Fund in all projects is just over $28.5 million, which has resulted in federal grant awards of more than $44 million.

The Kansas Infrastructure Hub connects multiple state agencies and serves as a resource center for Kansas communities to identify best practices for maximizing BIL funding opportunities. The Build Kansas Fund provides state matching dollars for projects throughout Kansas that successfully apply for federal grants under BIL. In 2023, the Kansas Legislature and Governor Kelly approved $200 million for the Build Kansas Fund to provide state-matching dollars to Kansas entities and projects to meet federal-local match requirements.

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