On September 5, 2024, the Department of Energy announced the selection of 293 capital improvement projects for negotiations across 33 states to receive over $430 million in Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentive payments. DOE resumed negotiations with the selectees on April 27, 2026.
Note, per the statutory requirement, DOE will fund all qualified capital improvement projects at the limits set forth in Section 247 (30% of total project costs, not to exceed $5,000,000) within a qualified hydroelectric facility. In some cases, a qualified facility submitted multiple project applications, but the total incentive per facility cannot exceed $5,000,000. This accounts for the discrepancy between the funding totals sum and the actual aggregate award value.
- Projects: 39 in California
- Total incentive payments requested: $68.6M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 5
- Dam Safety: 30
- Environmental Improvements: 4
The 39 projects in California will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth education programs to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Over 30 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
- Projects: 47 throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
- Total incentive payments requested: $50M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 10
- Dam Safety: 16
- Environmental Improvements: 10
The 47 projects in the Mid-Atlantic Region will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth education programs to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Nearly 26 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
- Projects: 42 throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin
- Total incentive payments requested: $63.5M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 8
- Dam Safety: 33
- Environmental Improvements: 1
The 42 projects in the Midwest Region will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth education programs to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Nearly 40 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
- Projects: 80 throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- Total incentive payments requested: $65.5M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 23
- Dam Safety: 32
- Environmental Improvements: 25
The 80 projects located in New England will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth education programs to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Over 56 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
- Projects: 47 throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, West Virginia - Total incentive payments requested: $83M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 18
- Dam Safety: 21
- Environmental Improvements: 8
The 47 projects in the Southeast Region will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth education programs to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Nearly 70 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
- Projects: 47 throughout Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina,
- Projects: 38 throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington
- Total incentive payments requested: $99.5M
- Capital Improvement Categories:
- Grid Resiliency: 18
- Dam Safety: 12
- Environmental Improvements: 8
The 38 projects in the Western Region will provide economic benefits including:
- Committing to hiring local workers or contractors
- Providing apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship programs, and youth education to showcase the opportunities available in the clean energy workforce
- Nearly 50 contracts are already in place with, or commitments have been made to a contractor preference for, businesses majority owned or controlled by underrepresented persons or groups of underrepresented persons
Projects
Project Areas
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- Adapting more quickly to changing grid conditions
- Providing ancillary services, such as black start capabilities or voltage support
- Integrating other variable sources of electricity generation
- Managing accumulated reservoir sediments, which removes sediment and debris from the reservoir floor to allow for an increase in reservoir storage capacity
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- Maintenance/upgrade of spillways or other structures related to the safety of a dam
- Dam stability improvements, including erosion repair and enhanced seepage controls
- Upgrades/replacements of floodgates or natural infrastructure restoration
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- Adding or improving existing fish passage
- Improving water quality
- Promoting downstream sediment transport processes and habitat maintenance to protect the surrounding area and migration of aquatic species
- Improving recreational access
