Funding to be used for enhanced grid
resiliency, improved dam safety and reduced environmental
impacts
OAKLAND,
Calif., Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PG&E
has been awarded $34.5 million in
grant awards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Grid
Deployment Office to support 19 hydroelectric projects across its
system.
The grant awards are part of the DOE's Maintaining and Enhancing
Hydroelectricity Incentive program, and will fund work that
provides grid resiliency, improves dam safety, and reduces
environmental impacts associated with ongoing operations.
"Hydroelectric power is one of the most reliable, affordable,
and efficient forms of carbon-free electricity in our portfolio,"
said Dave Gabbard, Vice President,
Power Generation. "The federal funds will directly benefit PG&E
customers by way of performance and capacity enhancements to
hydroelectric projects that will continue to provide reliable,
sustainable, and cost-effective renewable energy for decades to
come."
PG&E operates and maintains the second largest privately
owned hydroelectric system in the United
States, generating roughly 3,867 megawatts (MW) of power via
61 conventional hydro powerhouses, a pumped storage facility, 98
reservoirs, 168 dams, and more than 400 miles of canals, flumes,
tunnels, penstocks, siphons and natural waterways. The grants
enable PG&E to cost effectively make critical system
improvements for safety and reliability.
The utility's hydro projects that will benefit from the federal
incentive program are primarily located in Mendocino, Nevada, Plumas, Fresno, Tuolumne, Butte, Amador, Calaveras, and Shasta counties. Major projects are planned
for Potter Valley, Lake Fordyce,
Lower Bucks Spillway, Lower Blue Lake, Rock Creek and Cresta
Cofferdam, Lake Almanor Dam, Courtright
Dam, Strawberry Dam, DeSabla, Tiger Creek, Salt Springs,
Iron Canyon, Pit 7 Dam, Poe Dam, and Pit 1.
"These funds will enable us to continue advancing
hydroelectricity and environmental sustainability in a
cost-effective manner and will further propel us toward a future
where clean energy is accessible and dependable for all," said
Gabbard.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central
California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pge-awarded-34-5-million-in-federal-grants-for-19-hydroelectric-projects-302257447.html
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company