OG&E receives $50M in federal grid improvement funds
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — OG&E announced on Wednesday that the company was selected to receive a $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to strengthen the Oklahoma electric grid.
The grant funding is part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, which is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office.
The GRIP program’s primary goal is to enhance power grid flexibility and resilience against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.
OG&E proposes generator replacements at Horseshoe Lake Power Plant; bill increase expected in 2026
Sean Trauschke, CEO of OG&E’s parent company OGE Energy Corp, says making the grid more reliable is among the company’s top priority, citing the impact of severe storms and extreme weather in Oklahoma that increase the risk of outages.
“Improving reliability and strengthening the grid for our customers is one of our top priorities,” Trauschke said. “Our customers know the impact of living in a part of the United States most impacted by severe storms and extreme weather, and grid automation technology reduces the number of power outages and their duration. This grant by the Department of Energy allows us to double our impact and reduce the cost to our customers.”
The federal grant will be used in conjunction with investments made by OG&E to fund an adaptable grid project that will provide grid automation to 92 circuits and 26 substations. The project would also include the purchase of two mobile battery systems for use during major restoration events.
The improvements would boost reliability for an estimated 90,000 customers, according to OG&E.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
