Biden announces $600 million for strengthening Southeastern power grid

Biden went on an aerial survey of the damage caused by the hurricane in Florida, before being briefed. He and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm held a press conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he announced the new investment into restoring power to the region.

“I’m proud to announce $612 million to six new cutting-edge projects to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and Milton,” Biden said. “That includes $47 million for Gainesville regional utilities and another $47 million for Florida Power and Light.”

“This funding will not only restore power, but will make the region’s power system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages,” he continued.

Both Biden and Granholm pointed to work the Biden administration had done regarding previous upgrades to the power grid. Granholm explained some of the details of the funding announcement.

“Since the passage of that bipartisan infrastructure law, the Department of Energy has allocated roughly $680 million to grid resilience projects just in the states that have been affected by hurricanes Milton and Helene,” Granholm said.

“That amount roughly doubles when you include matching investments from states and utilities, and several of these projects are already underway,” She added.

As an example, Granholm pointed to undergrounding the power lines to prevent more widespread outages in the face of a storm like Helene or Milton.

She said that with the additional $612 million Biden announced, that in total there will be $2.5 billion worth of investment in this region.

“A combined investment from the Department of Energy states and private utilities and these partnerships are critical to making these projects successful and to bringing resilience to families and businesses across the southeast,” Granholm said.

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“We’re going to do everything we can to get power back in your home, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger. God bless you all,” Biden said.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than one million people across the southeast have reported power outages, according to USA TODAY‘s power outage tracker. Granholm said at least 75% of the power has been restored in Florida.