Grand Valley Power Receives $1.9 Million Federal Grant to Mitigate Wildfire Risks on the Grand Mesa

GRAND JUNCTION, COLO. - (November 1, 2024) – Grand Valley Power has received $1,947,204 from the U.S. Department of Energy to enhance wildfire protection and resilience by making critical upgrades to its electric system on the Grand Mesa.

Grand Valley Power is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project.

The cooperative will use the funding to underground 4.1 miles of existing overhead power line serving the Mesa Lakes area.

“These funds are critical to GVP’s ability to increase reliability and mitigate the risk of wildfire on the Grand Mesa,” said Matt Williams, Grand Valley Power’s chief operating officer. “The line is largely inaccessible except on foot or, in times of bad weather, on snowmobile. With the conversion to underground, residents can anticipate fewer power outages. Underground lines also offer significantly more protection from the threat of wildfire ignition by utility equipment.”

Grand Valley Power will provide matching funds for the project. The cooperative is working through the planning and permitting process, which must be completed before activity can begin on site. Work to underground the lines likely will not begin until 2026 at the earliest.

GVP has created a WARN web page with project information and updates. The cooperative will schedule a community function on the Mesa before work begins to share the project plan, a timeline, and to answer questions. Led by Holy Cross Energy in coordination with NRECA Research, WARN will provide more than $145 million in wildfire mitigation funding to co-ops across 16 states in the central and western United States to drive energy resilience in high-risk rural areas. WARN funding comes from DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.