北平原连接器联盟宣布：约6.95亿美元联邦电网拨款最终敲定，输电项目获约6.2亿美元
北平原连接器公用事业联盟10月22日宣布，美国能源部电网韧性与创新伙伴计划（GRIP）向蒙大拿州商务厅拨付的约6.95亿美元拨款已最终敲定，用于北平原连接器区域间创新项目。上周，联邦与州政府官员、电网运营商、公用事业企业及社区伙伴齐聚 Helena，共同确认了这一里程碑。
其中，北平原连接器输电项目作为子受拨方将获得约6.2亿美元，主要用于项目输电塔的工程设计与建设，并有助于降低项目整体成本。拨款同时支持对现有 Colstrip 输电系统的升级改造，以提升区域电网的韧性与可靠性。
州长 Greg Gianforte 与美国能源部电力办公室助理部长 Katie Jereza 在 Helena 论坛的炉边谈话中探讨了该拨款对蒙大拿州能源未来的意义。「项目投产后将由公用事业企业持有，这笔拨款意味着我们在不增加电力消费者负担的情况下获得了强大的输电能力，」Gianforte 表示。
北平原连接器是一条约420英里、525千伏的高压直流输电线路，连接蒙大拿州与北达科他州境内的西部和东部电网，可双向输电并兼容各类电源。联盟成员包括 ALLETE、Avista、NorthWestern Energy、Portland General Electric、Puget Sound Energy 等十家公用事业企业。
North Plains Connector Consortium Announces: Approximately $695 Million Federal Grid Award Finalized, Transmission Project to Receive About $620 Million
The North Plains Connector Utility Consortium announced on October 22 that the approximately $695 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program to the Montana Department of Commerce, supporting the North Plains Connector Interregional Innovation project, has been finalized. Last week, federal and state officials, grid operators, utility companies and community partners gathered in Helena to mark the milestone.
The North Plains Connector transmission project will receive approximately $620 million as a subrecipient, primarily to fund the engineering and construction of the project's transmission towers, which will also help lower the overall project cost. The award also supports upgrades to the existing Colstrip Transmission System to improve regional grid resilience and reliability.
Governor Greg Gianforte and Katie Jereza, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity, discussed the award's significance for Montana's energy future in a fireside chat at the Helena forum. 'When this comes into production, North Plains Connector, it's going to be utility-owned. This GRIP grant really means that we're getting extensive transmission capability without burdening the electric consumer,' Gianforte said.
North Plains Connector is an approximately 420-mile, 525-kilovolt high-voltage direct current transmission line connecting the western and eastern electric grids in Montana and North Dakota, able to transport power in either direction and open to all generation sources. Consortium members include ALLETE, Avista, NorthWestern Energy, Portland General Electric and Puget Sound Energy, among ten utility companies in total.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：蒙大拿州议会大厦（Helena），作者 David Wilson，CC BY 2.0，来源 Wikimedia Commons
