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Enhancing State Government Energy Assurance Capabilities and Planning



Amount Available: $39.5 million, nationally
California Energy Commission Allocated $3.6 million

On August 14, 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded California $3,572,526 for energy assurance planning efforts. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the initiative (known as the State Energy Assurance Initiative) provides money to state governments to improve emergency preparedness plans and ensure electricity grid resiliency on a regional basis, including staff training on smart grid technologies integration, interdependencies, and cyber-security.

The purposes of the federal government's State Energy Assurance Initiative are to:

1. Strengthen and expand state and local government energy assurance planning and resiliency efforts by incorporating response actions for new energy portfolios and Smart Grid applications


2. Create jobs


3. Build in-house state and local government energy assurance expertise. The initiative will focus on building regional energy assurance capability to allow states to better coordinate and communicate statewide and with one another, on energy security, reliability, and emergency response issues.

A portion of the funding will be used to improve the state's emergency preparedness plans and ensure quick recovery and restoration from any energy supply disruptions. The Energy Commission will update the state's Energy Assurance Plan to include recent advancements in technology (such as smart grid), critical infrastructure interdependencies, cyber security, energy supply systems, energy data analysis, and communications. In addition, the Energy Commission will develop in-house expertise on energy assurance planning as well as a process for tracking the duration, response, restoration and recovery time of energy supply disruption events. The Energy Commission will also participate in a minimum of two state and regional energy emergency exercises.

Also, part of the funding will be used to support and assist local governments ( http://www.energy.ca.gov/emergencies/government.html ) in preparing and/or updating local energy assurance plans. An Energy Commission on-line Energy Aware Portal ( http://www.energy.ca.gov/energy_aware_guide/index.html ) will be used to provide quick access and a tool kit for local governments to develop standardized energy assurance and resiliency plans for energy supply disruptions/emergencies and to integrate new energy portfolios and new technology applications.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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