The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) today announced that a major federal investment to strengthen grid reliability and support long-term energy security in the Imperial and Coachella valleys is advancing.
Originally submitted in 2024, the project has now received approval to move forward, unlocking an $18.3 million federal investment. With IID’s matching contribution, the total project value is $36.7 million. The investment will support the deployment of an Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) to modernize grid operations and enhance reliability for more than 165,000 customers. This milestone follows IID’s ongoing engagement in Washington, D.C., where IID Directors and staff worked closely with federal officials.
IID Board Chairwoman, Karin Eugenio.
“At IID, we work hard to leverage partnerships at every level of government to improve our systems, support growth in our region, and reduce the financial burden on our customers,” said Karin Eugenio, Chairwoman of the IID Board of Directors. “We thank the Trump Administration for their leadership and responsiveness, as well as for the opportunity to work with them to advance this critical investment, which will improve outage response times and continue modernizing our power system.”
The ADMS project will integrate IID’s core grid management systems into a unified, real-time platform, enabling faster fault detection, improved system visibility, and more efficient restoration during outages – critical capabilities in a region facing extreme heat and growing energy demand.
“This project is about ensuring our system performs when it matters most,” said Jamie Asbury, IID General Manager. “The Administration’s action to advance this investment aligns directly with our shared focus on reliability and performance. It strengthens our grid today while preparing us to meet the region’s growing energy needs.”
The project is expected to reduce outage duration and frequency while improving system visibility and response times, delivering measurable reliability benefits for IID customers. It will also support workforce development and strengthen IID’s ability to manage future energy resources.
