THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Entergy Texas has been awarded nearly $54 million in federal funding to improve power grid resilience in Port Arthur’s Pear Ridge, Kolbs, and Lakeview neighborhoods.
According to a news release, this funding will go toward a resiliency project aimed to help lessen the impact of future extreme weather events in this coastal community. Once completed, the project is designed to reduce outage durations, restoration costs, damage to utility infrastructure, and accelerate recovery after major storms, Entergy officials say.
The funding comes from the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The GRIP program supports projects that make the power grid more flexible and resilient against climate change and the growing threats of extreme weather. This award will match Entergy Texas’ investment on the project with $53.75 million dollars in federal funding.
“By securing this federal funding, we’re helping to keep bills affordable for our customers and building a stronger grid that they can count on,” said Entergy Texas President and CEO Eliecer Viamontes. “Despite not being selected for this award last year, we listened to the feedback, improved our approach, and tried again—because that’s what our customers deserve. This project will benefit not just Port Arthur but the entire Southeast Texas community, reinforcing the Gulf Coast as a key economic hub and improving service for thousands of homes and businesses.”
Benefits of Entergy Texas’ Port Arthur resilience project include:
- Increased resilience: Improving service resilience for approximately 7,000 homes and businesses by:
- Upgrading or burying 950 distribution structures;
- Reinforcing 57 transmission structures;
- Installing 14 devices to allow faster response to power outages; and
- Adding a self-healing microgrid with a large battery to manage short-term outages.
- Faster recovery: Reducing the time customers are without power after storms by approximately 257 million minutes over the next 50 years.
- Cost savings: Lowering storm recovery costs, saving an estimated $74 million over the next 50 years.
- Community support: Creating job and training opportunities for residents of disadvantaged census areas.
“As extreme weather events continue to stress electric systems across the country, the Biden-Harris Administration is using every tool in the toolbox to make sure America’s power grid can provide reliable, affordable power,” said Maria Robinson, Director of DOE’s Grid Deployment Office. “By fortifying critical infrastructure in both distribution and transmission systems to withstand extreme weather events, Entergy Texas will advance a critical step in maintaining reliable power in Port Arthur, a community that has endured some of the country’s most historic weather events.”
Storms like Hurricanes Beryl, Francine, Helene, and Milton, and other extreme weather events in recent years highlight the urgent need to strengthen our power systems.
Entergy Texas’ Port Arthur resilience project also addresses the critical need to improve infrastructure in areas hit hardest by both extreme weather and social and economic challenges. More than 94% of Port Arthur residents live in federally recognized disadvantaged areas. This project will help ensure that improvements to the grid are fairly distributed, giving these communities fair access to more reliable and affordable energy.
“As a city that has faced the repeated devastation of extreme weather, this project comes at a crucial time for Port Arthur,” said Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie. “This funding will provide a critical boost to our infrastructure, ensuring that our residents and businesses are better protected before, during, and after extreme weather events. We’re grateful to Entergy Texas and the Department of Energy for their continued support in making Port Arthur a stronger, more resilient place to live and work.”
As part of this project, Entergy Texas has also developed a multi-phased community benefits plan, which includes the creation of a Community Benefits Working Group made up of community partners. The working group will build on the company’s existing programs and relationships to deliver additional benefits to the Port Arthur community, such as labor engagement, education and job training programs, and financial services to low-income families through partnerships with social services organizations.
“Our goal is to improve lives and uplift the communities we serve,” Viamontes said.
Source: Entergy
