Saint John’s municipal electric utility is getting $5.25 million in federal funding to help develop an advanced digital grid over the coming years.
The funding was part of nearly $16 million announced Friday by federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson for energy projects across the Maritimes.
Saint John Energy said the advanced digital grid will use smart technologies, data and artificial intelligence to manage energy flow more intelligently across the electrical grid.
“It will help us respond faster to outages, support cleaner energy, as well as create new ways for customers to manage their energy use and take advantage of smarter tools and programs,” Glen Fillmore, vice-president of strategic growth and transformation, said in a news release.
Customers will benefit through more stable and reliable service, smarter tools to track and optimize energy use, and new programs and options that help lower costs, said the utility.
There will also be support for clean energy technologies such as EV chargers, rooftop solar and smart home devices.
“Saint John Energy’s advanced digital grid is designed with our customers in mind,” Fillmore said, adding it will be built on top of the utility’s smart grid.
Officials said the rollout is expected to take place over the next four years.
