The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $17 million in new funding to deploy energy infrastructure on tribal lands.
This funding through the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs will support Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations, interested in harnessing their vast undeveloped energy resources, DOE said in the press release.
“Alaska’s more than 200 villages and rural communities make up about one-fifth of the population of our state,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said. “The cultures, languages, and geography are incredibly diverse, but one common challenge in these communities is the extremely high cost of energy. Congress has recognized this challenge and continued to fund the Office of Indian Energy to help address it. The investments made through this program will help generate cleaner energy and reduce energy costs, which is critical in Alaska Native and Native American communities alike.”
DOE’s Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes to:
1. Install energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for Tribal Building(s)
2. Deploy community-scale energy generating system(s) on Tribal Lands
3. Install energy system(s) for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single or multiple essential tribal facilities during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience
The intended results of the 50% cost-shared projects selected under this FOA are to reduce or stabilize energy costs and increase energy security and resilience for Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages.
The full FOA is available online. Applications are due May 1, 2019.
Source: DOE