Energy Department plans $1.9 billion in federal funding for 31 grid-improvement projects
- Projects total $5.25 billion with recipient cost-share
- Colorado and Oklahoma offices each requested $250 million
- Project details may change before agreements are finalised
WASHINGTON, Sept 24 — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said on Thursday it intends to help fund 31 grid-improvement projects across 26 states under its SPARK initiative.2 The department said the projects would improve grid reliability and lower electricity costs for about 100 million Americans.2
The projects will receive $5.25 billion in total, the department said.2 That includes $1.9 billion in federal funding from DOE and $3.35 billion in cost-share funding from the recipients.2
DOE's list of selected applications says the project details come from application materials and may change until formal financial assistance agreements are finalised.1
According to the list, the largest federal requests came from the Colorado Energy Office and the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, at $250,000,000 each.1 The Colorado project has a total value of $1,206,553,696 and would modernise a connection between the Western and Eastern interconnections.1 The Oklahoma project, valued at $832,174,719, would create a link between the Southwest Power Pool and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.1
DOE said recipients are expected to reconductor or rebuild more than 1,500 miles of transmission lines.2 Reconductoring means replacing existing power lines with higher-capacity conductors.2 Recipients are also expected to deploy grid-enhancing technologies across nearly 21,000 miles, and the department said these efforts, together with the reconductoring and rebuilding, would make over 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity available.2
"These investments will get more out of the infrastructure we already have, move more electricity across the grid, and help deliver affordable, reliable, and secure power that will fuel American prosperity for decades to come," Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.2
SPARK is funded through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program, the department said.2 DOE also released an analysis of industry feedback that helped shape the SPARK funding opportunity.2