Pennsylvania is investing $14.4 million to make its power system more resilient, according to Daily Energy Insider, looking to keep the lights on during severe weather and restore service faster when outages occur.
The funding builds on projects expected to cut some power interruptions from hours to seconds.
Here's what to know
The funding follows almost $25 million previously distributed by Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection for grid modernization and resilience projects.
Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration announced the investment in the Grid Resilience Grants Program on Oct. 22.
Keeping up with electricity demand is one priority for the program; others include addressing aging infrastructure and severe weather.
The program has completed projects benefiting more than 60,000 people in 20 counties through its first two funding rounds.
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More background
The approved projects are expected to include installing more than 300 smart-grid devices.
These devices are intended to help utilities monitor the system, detect outages, and isolate affected portions of the grid.
The announcement describes shorter outages as an anticipated benefit.
Other projects look to address potential sources of storm damage before outages occur.
The approved work includes checks on more than 8,000 power poles and vegetation management covering almost 3,000 miles to limit storm damage and improve reliability.
What's being done?
The approved projects also include improvements to 15 substations plus the installation of monitoring devices and smart-grid sensors at 10 substations.
The work includes weatherization, equipment elevation, buried cables, automated technologies, and additional physical protections.
The announcement did not include an application date. The DEP said more details about the timing of future grant opportunities will follow "in the coming months."
"We've seen what strong storms can do to the power grid, and these grants will help keep the lights on when storms hit and the grid is stressed. At a time when electricity is in higher demand than ever before, our efforts to ensure a reliable electric grid are essential," DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said. "Funding like this makes it possible for applicants to reach for innovation and transformation, while at the same time protecting against the potential for grid outages.
"We have seen great work already done by the initial recipients of this grant, and we are excited to see how these new projects further our efforts for electric reliability in Pennsylvania."
Where can I learn more?
As Pennsylvania invests in its grid, outages are driving demand for backup power and stronger protections for residents.
• Pennsylvania had fewer outages in 2025, but 2.9 million people still lost power.
• In the Keystone State, whole-home generator demand quadrupled as residents faced repeated storm-related power outages.
• A Pennsylvania proposal would fund backup power and prohibit shutoffs for residents using life-sustaining devices.
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