For Immediate Release
Illinois EPA Office of Energy Releases Third Round of Funding for Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Public Wastewater Treatment Plants
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Energy has announced up to $750,000 of grant funding available for energy efficiency upgrades at public wastewater treatment plants. Under the Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Efficiency Program, grants ranging from $20,000 to $500,000 will be awarded to assist selected Illinois municipalities reduce energy usage at public wastewater treatment plants. This is the third such round of funding and follows awards made in May 2020.
The grant program seeks to invest U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program (SEP) funds in energy efficiency projects, some of which were identified by energy efficiency assessments also funded by the Illinois EPA Office of Energy, that will result in the greatest energy cost savings for Illinois residents. As with the previous cycles, grant applications will be scored on multiple factors including the energy savings per dollar (granted/invested) and percentage of improvement for the project’s anticipated energy cost savings to treat one million gallons of wastewater. Projects located in environmental justice areas will be prioritized along with projects located in municipally owned electric utility or electric cooperative service territory. Application materials are available at Illinois EPA’s Office of Energy webpage. The application period closes at midnight on March 29, 2022.
“The costs of wastewater treatment and water supply can be a significant burden for municipalities in Illinois,” said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. “The previous two funding rounds saved eight municipalities more than 8 million kWh and $650,000 in annual savings. We look forward to helping more Illinois municipalities reduce energy usage at their wastewater treatment plants.”
The Illinois EPA Office of Energy strives to achieve energy equity by investing U.S. Department of Energy SEP funds in projects across the State that aim to reduce the energy burden for Illinois residents. In addition to the Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Efficiency Program, the Office of Energy has also invested in: upgrading Energy Code Training and Technical Support, supporting clean energy companies based in Illinois through the Illinois Clean Energy Innovation Fund, and launching research and education on solar energy plus energy storage at the SIU Carbondale campus.
For more information about Illinois EPA Office of Energy programming, including the Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Efficiency Program, please visit https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/energy/Pages/default.aspx or call 217-785-8841.
More information on the U.S. Department of Energy SEP is available at https://www.energy.gov/eere/wipo/state-energy-program.
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