Anza Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AEC) has received $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enhance wildfire protection and resilience in the communities it serves by making critical upgrades to its electric system.

AEC is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assesment and Resilience for Networks project, or "WARN."

"Anza Electric Cooperative will use its funding to upgrade and harden approximately 7.2 miles of import circuit that passes through USFS territory over extreme terrain and through the highest category of wildfire risk areas in our service area as identified by the California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)", says AEC General Manager, Kevin Short.

Led by Holy Cross Energy in coordination with NRECA Research, WARN will provide more than $145 million in wildfire mitigation funding to co-ops across 16 states in the central and western United States to drive energy resilience in high-risk rural areas.

"Electric cooperatives are focused on leveraging innovative solutions to meet tomorrow's energy needs," said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. "This infrastructure funding is an important step as electric co-ops work to harden systems against wildfires and enhance the reliability of the grid. These projects hold tremendous potential for local communities as their co-ops unlock new ways to use technology to help mitigate wildfires and keep the lights on."

Working together, consortium members will share lessons learned and expertise and provide real world data to create an advanced analysis tool to identify the likely impacts of utility-ignited wildfires on regional electricity supplies and local communities. 

WARN funding comes from DOE's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.