Louisiana secures $250M for microgrids

Driving the news: The Biden administration announced last week a total investment of $3.5 billion in the nation's electric grid, writes Katie Fehrenbacher for Axios Pro.

• Louisiana will match the $249,329,483 set aside for its project, dubbed Hubs for Energy Resilient Operations.
• The project specifically mentions the state's need for "greater power resilience in the face of rising extreme weather and more frequent natural disasters."

Zoom in: Gov. John Bel Edwards' office defined resilience hubs as locations "where communities can access electricity and other vital services during times of natural disaster."

• In New Orleans, Together New Orleans and Feed the Second Line have already begun creating similar projects, called microgrids.
• Those projects hook up batteries and solar panels in community locations to serve as charging and cooling stations during power outages.

Worth noting: Entergy New Orleans also secured $55 million in funding as part of its initiative to harden its infrastructure.

The utility is working to secure the OK from the New Orleans City Council for grid strengthening measures expected to cost $1 billion.