EWEB to use a $2.2 million grant to strengthen grid resiliency and modernize electrical equipment.
Photo: Systems Engineer Philip Peterson shows some of the equipment inside the Monroe Substation control house that will be a part of the resiliency project.
The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) has selected EWEB for two grants totaling around $2.2 million to increase grid resilience and modernize electrical equipment.
The two grants are part of Oregon’s Grid Resilience Grant program. The first grant, from an earlier round of funds, totaled $924,000. The second grant, from the most recent 2025 round, was selected for $1.25 million. EWEB is contributing 25% in local cost share of these totals, representing a $550,000 investment in this work.
Together, the two grants will fund undergrounding select power lines, replace older overhead equipment in outage-prone areas and modernize substation equipment. They will improve electric service reliability and operational response to extreme weather, including wildfires.
One of the projects will upgrade protection, control, and communications systems at EWEB’s Monroe Substation. This capability will allow dispatch operators to quickly de-energize or adjust operational settings on specific feeders in response to weather conditions, wildfire activity, or emergency responder requests without affecting the entire substation region and the more than 6,000 customers it serves.
Consistent with EWEB's wildfire mitigation plan, the project also entails rebuilding overhead electric equipment in areas with dense tree canopy, steep terrain, and limited egress. These rebuild projects replace 5,000 feet of older wire, including copper wire which becomes brittle with age and increasingly prone to failure; and replace some 30 power poles, many of which are more than sixty years old.
These projects will increase grid resiliency during extreme weather events, including wildfire activity and harsh winter weather.
“This funding will help offset project costs, enabling EWEB to achieve significant savings while enhancing electric reliability for customers long-term,” said Jeannine Parisi, EWEB resiliency program manager.
