Electric Co-op gets funding to protect infrastructure in canyon area

Flathead Electric Cooperative has received $2.6 million in federal funding to help protect its electrical infrastructure in the Essex area south of Glacier National Park.

Flathead Electric was among 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive the funding via the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, which is funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by the Department of Energy. The consortium is called the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project.

According to the Flathead Electric, the dollars will be used to improve the reliability of its radial electric distribution system in a heavily forested area that is frequently challenged by tree-caused power outages, which have the potential to ignite a wildfire.