The Board of Public Utilities is proposing a microgrid through potential Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships grant funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grant request is for $12 million, with a $3 million local share. According to the BPU and city administration, the microgrid would increase the city’s resiliency and reliability in emergency situations. Kristopher Sellstrom, BPU deputy general manager for electric, is pictured discussing the microgrid during a 2023 meeting. P-J file photo

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday outlining its Microgrid Project.

The meeting will be held in the police training room on the fourth floor of Jamestown City Hall. To attend the meeting, people should enter through the main City Hall door on Tracy Plaza, step through security and take the elevator to floor 4. Turn right off the elevator and follow signs to the Police Training Room. There will also be a virtual link using the Microsoft TEAMS meeting application available on the BPU’s website at www.jamestownbpu.com/417/Microgrid-Community-Benefits.

The United States Department of Energy has awarded and signed a contract with the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities to finalize an agreement for $17,377,034 in grant funding to create a microgrid and install associated resiliency upgrades in Jamestown. After the Department of Energy selected the project for possible funding in late 2023, contract negotiations were completed in October and work authorized to begin. The BPU is providing a $5,792,648 match for the project.

If an emergency occurs outside BPU territory to cut power to the BPU’s service area, the microgrid system will be able to black start the utility’s existing gas turbine. The utility’s network of underground circuits, the District Heating system and the addition of a black start battery storage system will enable the core area of Downtown Jamestown to remain in electrical and thermal service. The Microgrid Project will help ensure that any unexpected electrical interruption from the grid will be brief if the BPU’s power plant can be operated.

Within five years, the project will deploy a microgrid with electric vehicle charging, energy storage and underground cabling replacement. The microgrid will enable most of the community’s first responders and critical services to operate more efficiently in case of a significant service interruption during a disastrous event. That includes the Jamestown Police Department, the Jamestown Fire Department, the Jamestown Department of Public Works, the BPU Electric and Water Resources Divisions, Alstar EMS Ambulance Service, UPMC Chautauqua Hospital, the Urgent Care Medical Facility and several large community buildings that could host shelters in case of a prolonged emergency event. Electric vehicles used by first responders would also be able to charge if the power grid fails.

“Federal funding of our microgrid project allows us the opportunity to deliver reliable and resilient electricity in the case of a widespread outage, directly impacting our customers and our community,” said David Leathers, BPU general manager, when the microgrid funding was announced. “We look forward to working with the Department of Energy to finalize this work.”