For the next five years, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will stand up 60 new DOE programs, including 16 demonstration and 32 deployment programs, and expands funding for 12 existing Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment programs. The Grid Deployment Office is administering the following BIL programs.

  • BIL Provision 40101 - Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid / Hazard Hardening (Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants) is a $5 billion grant program to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters exacerbated by the climate crisis. This program includes $2.5 billion in competitive grants for industry and $2.5 billion in formula grants for states and American Indian tribes.
  • BIL Provision 40103(b) - Program Upgrading Our Electric Grid and Ensuring Reliability and Resiliency (Grid Innovation Program) will invest $5 billion for states, tribal nations, state regulators, and local governments to demonstrate innovative approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure to harden and enhance resilience and reliability. The work on this provision is done in coordination with the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
  • BIL Provision 40106 - Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP) is a revolving $2.5 billion fund program that will provide federal support to overcome the financial hurdles in the development of new large-scale transmission lines and upgrading existing transmission as well as the connection of microgrids in select states and U.S. territories. Under the TFP, DOE is authorized to borrow up to $2.5 billion to assist in the construction of new and upgraded high-capacity transmission lines through three financing tools: loans from DOE; DOE participation in public-private partnerships; and capacity contracts with eligible projects in which DOE would serve as an “anchor customer”. 
  • BIL Provision 40107 - Deployment of technologies to enhance grid flexibility (Smart Grid Grants) expands the Smart Grid Grant program to include a broader suite of grid enhancing technologies that will increase the capacity of the existing transmission system; prevent faults that may lead to wildfires or other system disturbances; integrate ever increasing renewable resources; and deploy technologies that are better able monitor and analyze the impact of transportation and building electrification on the gird.  Launched in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Smart Grid Grants program invested more than $10 million to work with electric utilities and other organizations to improve interoperability and collected an unprecedented level of data on smart grid operations and benefits. 
  •  BIL Provision 40125(d) - Modeling and Assessing Energy Infrastructure Risk will increase the functional preservation of electric grid operations or natural gas and oil operations in the face of threats and hazards through modeling, analysis, and assessments.
  • BIL Provision 40323 - Civil Nuclear Credit Program (CNC) will oversee a $6 billion investment to prevent premature retirement of existing zero-carbon nuclear plants. The program is available for plants that would otherwise retire and are certified as safe to continue operations. Priority will be given to plants that use domestically produced fuel.
  • BIL Provision 40331 - Hydroelectric production incentives (EPAct 2005 section 242) provides $125 million in incentive payments to qualified hydroelectric facilities for electricity generated and sold, with an emphasis on communities with inadequate electric service.
  • BIL Provisions 40332 - Hydroelectric efficiency Improvement Incentives (EPAct 2005 section 243) provides a total of $75 million in incentive payments to owners or operators of existing hydroelectric facilities who may apply for funding to make capital improvements that can increase efficiency by at least 3%.
  • BIL Provision 40333 - Maintaining and enhancing hydroelectricity incentives (EPAct 2005 section 247) provides $553.6 million in incentive payments to enhance existing hydropower facilities through capital improvements directly related to three main areas: grid resiliency, dam safety, and environmental improvements.