Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recently awarded $15.6 million for four grid resiliency projects that will strengthen and modernize Arizona’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other disasters.
Included among the funding recipients is the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District.
Awarded through the Governor’s Office of Resiliency’s Arizona Grid Resilience Grant Program, the four grid improvement projects will help reduce the number of outages and outage durations for households and businesses in Arizona by investing in grid modernization and resilience projects.
With a cost match from awardees, Arizonans will benefit from a $27 million investment in Arizona's grid system, the governor’s office said.
Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District received a grid resilience grant for the Ligurta Substation Modernization Project.
Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District will support critical infrastructure upgrades to foster greater economic stability in the region.
This project will enhance monitoring and control technologies to facilitate quicker responses and diagnoses, upgrade circuit breakers, and strengthen grid hardening of power lines and systems.
“The Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District is honored to work with the Governor’s Office of Resiliency through the Arizona Grid Resiliency Grant Program. The Ligurta Substation Modernization Project will provide more reliable energy and foster greater economic stability for the District’s service area,” said Elston Grubaugh, General Manager at Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District. “This investment will modernize the grid, ensuring the region is better prepared for future disruptions and contributing to long-term resilience and sustainability.”
The Arizona Grid Resilience Grant Program awards grants to state utilities and grid operators for projects that invest in measures designed to reduce the likelihood and consequences of disruptive events. Measures may include electrical wire undergrounding, microgrid infrastructure, pole hardening, grid hardening projects, and advanced control sensors for advanced reliability.
Awarded projects for the first round of the Arizona Grid Resilience Grant Program are expected to be completed by the end of 2027. The Governor’s Office of Resiliency plans to fund additional Arizona Grid Resilience Grant Program projects as federal funding is available.
Funding for the Arizona Grid Resilience Grant Program comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program and is authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, managed through the US Department of Energy- Office of Energy, and administered by the National Energy Technology Laboratory.
