The Imperial Irrigation District on Oct. 20 said it is determined to move forward with its long-term plans to strengthen the reliability of its electric service through major projects aimed at bolstering grid reliability to meet growing energy demands.
Specifically, the California public power utility said it will continue to work to deploy an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) on schedule -- a major project for IID that, through modernization and automation, will enhance operations and reliability, providing direct service benefits to customers.
The project will continue despite the recent announcement by the Department of Energy that grant funds will no longer be available.
“We have supported, advocated, and been fully committed to this project from day one,” said IID Board Chairwoman Gina Dockstader. “As this is a critical project that will move us forward, we stand up to take the project on ourselves because it’s the right thing to do for our customers, for our communities, and for our future. We will find a way.”
The District announced its commitment of $18.3 million in funds over four years for the $36.7 million project. The federal grant, announced in October 2024 and since rescinded, would have been an equal match.
“This has only reinforced our commitment to our customers,” said IID Power Manager Matt Smelser, who, along with Board members Karin Eugenio and Alex Cardenas and General Manager Jamie Asbury, was part of the District’s charge on Capitol Hill to pursue funding for critical energy infrastructure projects.
The District is reevaluating the project, which is projected to launch in June 2026, and creating a revised full implementation plan. “We’ll be trimming the original plan a bit, but we will be fully implementing its core components,” Smelser said.
"Overall, the ADMS will create an important foundation for future grid modernization, improving IID’s capacity to integrate smart grid technologies and enable the utilization of untapped renewable resources," the utility said.
It will also improve outage response, create employment and training opportunities, and contribute to local economic development.
IID provides power service to 166,000 electric meters and hundreds of thousands of customers throughout the Imperial and Coachella valleys, as well as parts of Riverside and San Diego counties.
