BEL Assists Small Communities in Pennsylvania Grid Resilience (GRG) Secure Electric Infrastructure Funding
In a March 16, 2026 press release, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced $10 million in grid resiliency awards under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grant Program through DOE. This is Pennsylvania’s second round of funding to improve grid reliability and resiliency throughout the state. BEL partnered with electric cooperatives and municipal utilities to provide application support and technical assistance, helping to secure over $5 million for rural and small-town communities in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) territory.
- REA Energy Co-op won $1.5million to update their system with smart grid technology equipment and significantly reduce outage frequency and duration for their customers
- Borough of Duncannon won $507,840 to implement smart grid technology, provide fault isolation and loop their distribution. This will reduce outages by up to 25%
- Borough of Schuylkill Haven won $994,746 to purchase AMI and SCADA technology, allowing them to better track and address system outages. These updates will allow the Borough to address outages quicker and more efficiently, reducing duration and frequency
- Claverack Rural Electric Co-op won $2,193,767 for the installation of a battery energy system for a critical substation that serves essential infrastructure such as the county 911 center. This upgrade will help to reduce outages by up to 44% in the county’s most vulnerable areas
