Entergy Louisiana on Thursday filed two grant applications that would secure roughly $240 million to strengthen portions of the company’s electric grids in Baton Rouge and Reserve if approved.
The two proposed projects would serve to make the grids more resilient against extreme weather, allowing for speedier recovery and restoration efforts after storms and “reducing overall impacts to customers and local economies,” according to a statement from Entergy Louisiana.
The grants being pursued have been made available through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships Program. The DOE is expected to announce grant recipients this fall.
To complement the proposed infrastructure upgrades, Entergy Louisiana has organized community-led work groups in both Baton Rouge and Reserve.
Those groups comprise local stakeholders and will each oversee the execution of a $2 million Community Benefits Plan prioritizing initiatives related to diversity, education, food stability, job creation and youth workforce development.
