The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) has announced $10 million for states, tribes, and non-profit organizations to accelerate transmission deployment through the Transmission Acceleration Grants (TAG) Program, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.
The TAG Program was developed in response to stakeholders looking for transmission-specific technical assistance and capacity building support to address growing transmission portfolios and needs.
TAG funding will allow states and tribes to engage in transmission planning and conduct efficient and effective siting and permitting processes to help advance transmission infrastructure at a faster rate, increasing access to a diverse array of energy sources, reducing transmission congestion and energy prices, and delivering reliable, affordable power to consumers. TAG will also help ensure that local communities are heard and impacts from new transmission infrastructure are effectively addressed.
Eligible activities include:
- Identification and evaluation of areas that may be designated as preferred locations for siting transmission infrastructure.
- Streamlining and centralizing transmission siting and permitting processes and approvals, especially in jurisdictions where permitting authority is spread among many different groups.
- Establishing state- or tribal-based funding or financing programs for transmission facilities.
- Increasing capacity of state and tribal siting authorities to help meet rising siting and permitting workloads, particularly where the siting and permitting authority faces unprecedented levels of demand.
- Developing new transmission-focused governmental organizations (e.g., state transmission authorities) or pursuing coordination among entities within the state or with other states.
- TAG funding can be used by individual states or tribes, or it can also be used collaboratively by non-profit organizations working with these entities, including regional transmission organizations and regional-state committees supporting multi-jurisdictional initiatives.
The technical assistance partnerships under the TAG program will be managed by TECHWERX, a collaboration managed through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) set up by the DOE's Office of Technology Transitions (OTT). The agreement will help TECHWERX to broaden DOE’s engagement with organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of clean energy solutions.
