Primary navigation

    Partners collaborate with MN Commerce Dept to pursue two major U.S. DOE grants for electric grid upgrades


    May 25, 2023

    Two major proposals for electric grid updates in Minnesota and across the Midwest region have received the green light from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to submit full applications. The Minnesota Department of Commerce is collaborating with these partners on the proposals:

    MISO, SPP, Great Plains Institute 

    A joint proposal by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Great Plains Institute and two regional electricity operators: 

    • MISO – the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (misoenergy.org), which manages the flow of electricity across 15 states, including Minnesota, and the Canadian province of Manitoba;    
    • SPP – the Southwest Power Pool (spp.org), which manages electricity energy across 15 central and southern states. 

    If approved, the funds would help build five high-voltage transmission lines across seven Midwest states and would come from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program (GRIP). 

    Learn more about Commerce’s joint proposal with MISO, SPP and Great Plains Institute. 

    Minnesota Rural Electric and Municipal Utilities

    A proposal by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, along with regional electric co-op and municipal utilities partners combines almost 300 projects involving small-scale utilities – rural cooperative, municipal owned, generation and transmission utilities – that would face significant challenges as individual projects to pursue federal funds.

    This funding would also come from the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program (GRIP). 

    Learn more about Commerce’s joint proposal with MREA and MMUA. 

    A key component for each of the joint proposals is to ensure disadvantaged communities in the region would benefit from the energy infrastructure investments. The full proposals were submitted May 19, with the DOE expected to announce awards later in 2023. 

    Get updates and news from the Minnesota Department of Commerce by following Commerce on Facebook and Twitter or by subscribing to our news email list. 

    Media Contact 

    Mo Schriner
    Minnesota Department of Commerce
    mo.schriner@state.mn.us

    back to top