The Energy Department announced Thursday it is opening up $1.9 billion in funding aimed at helping upgrade the U.S. power grid.
Projects selected through the funding opportunity, which is made available through the bipartisan infrastructure law, would invest in grid upgrades at a time the Trump administration is confronting rising electricity demand and concerns over resource adequacy.
“The United States must increase grid capacity to meet demand, and ensure the grid provides reliable power — day-in and day-out,” Katie Jereza, assistant secretary for the Office of Electricity, said in a statement.
Jereza said the so-called SPARK funding opportunity will help “stabilize and optimize grid operations to strengthen it for rapid growth.” Projects that receive the funding would need to demonstrate reconductoring — or the replacement of existing power lines with higher‑capacity conductors — paired with other technologies that can expand grid capacity and increase operational efficiency, the department said in a release Thursday.
