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OEI Special Edition Funding Opportunity |
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Grid Resilience Round 2 Accepting Applications
- The Grid Resilience program is designed to enhance the reliability of the electric grid by supporting activities that reduce the likelihood and consequences of impacts to the electric grid from extreme weather, wildfire, and natural disaster.
- Round 2 of the Grid Resilience Program opened on October 15, 2026, with a total budget of $7.2 million for immediate award. Up to $9.7 million in additional funding is available for conditional awards, which would be executed should additional funding become available from the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) by December 31, 2029.
- The deadline to submit an application through the PSC Grants System is Monday, February 22, 2027, at 1:30 PM CT.
- Eligible Applicants for Round 2 include:
- Electric grid operator
- Electricity storage operator
- Electricity generator
- Transmission owner or operator
- Distribution provider
- Fuel supplier
- The Commission established a set of priority activities to emphasize projects that are innovative and separate from Wisconsin’s standard grid maintenance. Eligible Activities for Round 2 (Commission priorities in bold):
- Weatherization Technologies and Equipment
- Fire-Resistant Technologies and Fire Prevention Systems
- Monitoring and Control Technologies
- Undergrounding of Electrical Equipment
- Adaptive Protection Technologies
- Hardening of Power Lines, Facilities, Substations, and Other Systems
- Training, Recruitment, Retention, And Reskilling of Skilled and Properly Credentialled Workers in Order to Perform the Work Required for the Particular Resilience Activities in This Program
- Advanced Modeling Technologies
- Relocation of Power Lines or the Reconductoring of Power Lines with Low-Sag, Advanced Conductors
- Replacement of Old Overhead Conductors and Underground Cables
- Use or Construction of Distributed Energy Resources for Enhancing System Adaptive Capacity During Disruptive Events (including microgrids and battery-storage subcomponents)
- Utility Pole Management
- Vegetation and Fuel-Load Management
- There will be an Application Instructions webinar on November 5, 2026, at 1 PM CT. Registration for the webinar is required.
- To learn more about the Grid Resilience Round 2 program and to register for the webinar, visit the links below.
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