The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs were awarded $248,000 for solar projects on reservation land. The funding will go toward geotechnical engineering services required to develop such projects, the Department of Interior said in a statement.

The federal agency said a solar and battery project on the reservation will contribute to energy sovereignty and regional climate resilience and decarbonization goals.

Warm Springs has been active of late in seeking solar energy production as a way to increase revenue and contribute to the state’s renewable energy goals. Last month the Tribes announced they were in talks with Florida-based BrightNight to build a 250-megawatt solar farm on reservation land. If built, the solar farm would be among the largest in the state.

Cathy Ehli, executive director of the Warm Springs Power & Water Enterprises, which manages the Tribes’ energy assets and facilities, said she expects the funding to be used, but there are no specific plans yet.

“We are thankful for this federal funding that supports the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs’ exploration of renewables as part of their energy resiliency future,” said Ehli. “We haven’t yet had time to dig into the details of the grant to understand next steps, but when we do, we look forward to sharing those options with our board of directors and Tribal Council before we proceed.”

The funding is part of a $121 million investment from the Biden Administration to help Tribes build climate resilience. Funding is for 124 projects developed by 96 Tribes and 10 Tribal organizations. The investment includes $17.1 million from the Inflation Reduction Act and $79.8 million from the Bipartisan Infrasture Law. Over the past four years, the Biden-Harris administration has funded $560 million for Tribal climate resilience programs.

In addition to the funding for Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde also received around $250,000 each for climate resilience projects.