As the historic delegation made up of Mayor Bass and members of the Los Angeles City Council continued their visit to the nation's capital, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today (Oct 18) announced that they will continue locking arms with the Bass administration to build a greener Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) was approved to receive $48 million in federal dollars to enhance LADWP's grid flexibility, improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change, and ensure Los Angeles has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity throughout all areas of the City. The delegation today met with U.S. Department of Energy Under Secretary for Infrastructure David Crane to discuss the new funding and furthering collaboration to protect the environment.
Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office is administering a historic $10.5 billion investment via the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program to enhance grid flexibility, improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change, and ensure American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity when and where they need it.
"Thank you to the Biden Administration for continuing to lock arms with us to deliver for the people of Los Angeles," said Mayor Karen Bass. "Last week, California received more than $1 billion in funding for the nation's first clean hydrogen hubs and today, the City of Los Angeles has been awarded $48 million which will help us ensure that all Angelenos have access to affordable and reliable clean electricity at all times. I want to thank the Department of Energy for delivering for Los Angeles and propelling us towards our clean air and carbon pollution reduction goals."
The grant will help LADWP create one single platform where distributed energy resources like Electric Vehicles (EVs) and EV chargers, energy storage, solar photovoltaic systems (PV), and demand response infrastructure can be controlled, in response to grid needs. Doing so will enable LADWP to quickly rebalance the electrical system after an extreme climate event like wildfires, heatwaves or tropical storms.
"This funding is a major investment by the federal government to help LADWP build a resilient and equitable clean energy future," said L.A. Department of Water and Power Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill. "The support from the U.S. Department of Energy will be instrumental in continuing to achieve our mission to provide all our customers, especially those in underserved communities, with access to clean, reliable power. Together, we're making strides towards a greener more inclusive energy future, and building a stronger Los Angeles."
This announcement comes less than a week after the Mayor convened local leaders to announce significant funding to build a greener Los Angeles after the White House announced $7 billion for America's first clean hydrogen hubs, up to $1.2 billion of which will be given to California to support the Port of Los Angeles and LADWP as Los Angeles pursues zero-emission operations.
