Provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to hopi utilities corporation

This federal Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CFDA 66.046) program, will fund the Hopi Utilities Corporation to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, and measures identified in a priority climate action plan.

The key products and services to be delivered through this $20,498,655 award include: deploying an 8 MW photovoltaic solar and 8 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) microgrid, constructing 11.9 miles of 21kV feeder line, and conducting solar construction and microgrid operations and maintenance workforce training. These measures are expected to achieve 13,448 metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided by 2030 and 136,284 metric tons by 2050, while also providing improved electricity reliability and GHG emission reductions for approximately 2,500 Hopi households. Arizona State University LEAPS will provide sustainability, planning, utility coordination, and workforce training support as a sub-recipient.

Description

The purpose of this award is to provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to hopi utilities corporation. The recipient will implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, projects, and measures identified in a priority climate action plan (pcap) developed under a climate pollution reduction grants (cprg) planning grant. Activities conducted through this grant will benefit all residents and visitors to hopi reservation through four main objectives: implementation of ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond; pursuit of measures that will achieve substantial community benefits, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities; complementing other funding sources to maximize these GHG reductions and community benefits; and, pursuit of innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be 'scaled up' across multiple jurisdictions. This assistance agreement provides full federal funding in the amount of $20,100,635. Pre-award costs are approved back to 12/1/2024. See terms and conditions. Activities:the activities include deploying a community-serving microgrid and conducting renewable energy workforce training. The microgrid will consist of 8 mwdc PV solar, 8 MWH battery energy storage system (bess), and 11.9 miles of 21KV feeder line.subrecipient:arizona state university leaps will assist with 4 key workstreams: -sustainability and environmental impact assessment -master planning support -utility coordination support -workforce training supportoutcomes:the anticipated deliverables include deploying an 8 mwdc PV solar, 8 MWH bess (lithium-ION) microgrid, and 11.9 mile 21KV feeder line; as well as conducting solar construction workforce training and microgrid oandm workforce training. The expected outputs of the microgrid measure are 13,448 t CO2E emissions avoided by 2030 and 136,284 t CO2E emissions avoided by 2050, 38,042 MWH of solar PV electricity produced by 2030 and 385,534 MWH of solar PV electricity produced by 2050, and approximately 2,500 hopi households benefit from improved electricity reliability and GHG emission reductions. The expected outcomes of the microgrid measure include improved hopi energy resiliency by reducing outages, expanded electricity access and sovereignty with through self-governance of energy resources, and improved health outcomes. The expected outcomes of the workforce training measure include creating 50 temporary jobs during construction (1 year), 12+ individuals completing at least 256 hours of utility scale solar workforce training, 12+ individuals receiving OSHA10 training, 12+ community members trained for well paid jobs in the solar industry, and training and hiring 2-3 full time oandm employees. The intended beneficiaries include hopi community members, who will benefit from the project displacing at least 80% of hopi grid electricity purchases, thereby improving air quality and reducing household utility bill expenses.