Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) released a Grid Resilience Formula Grant Program on behalf of the State of Ohio which provides grants for the investment in electric grid infrastructure. The City meets the criteria to be eligible to submit an application. Award selections are anticipated to be approved by the PUCO and sent to the U.S. DOE for the U.S. DOE’s required review and approval in the calendar year 2024. The U.S. DOE awarded to the PUCO in 2023 a total of $14,216,570, which includes Ohio’s allocations for federal fiscal years 1 and 2 of the program ($7,122,706 and $7,093,864, respectively).
This legislation will authorize the Director of the Department of Public Utilities to formally apply for a funding under this program for fiscal year 2024. It also authorizes the execution of agreements with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio or others in connection with the application for the grant, the award of the grant, the expenditure of grant funds, and the return of unused grant funds if any should remain at the end of the grant.
The Columbus Division of Power is a full-service, publicly owned electrical utility that provides power to industry, business and residential customers through the purchase of wholesale power and delivered through its own distribution system. The City is requesting funding to improve the reliability of the Furnace 14043 distribution circuit. This Circuit is a critical connector transgressing approximately 8.7 miles within several disadvantaged areas and improvements are needed to replace aging assets and improve operational flexibility. This critical resiliency project involves replacing rotten wood distribution poles, damaged cross arms, potted porcelain fused cutouts, gapped lighting arresters, and main line conductor. In addition, new electronic reclosers, gang-operated air breaks, and solid blade disconnects will be installed to improve operational flexibility. The City is requesting $...
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