U.S. Department of Energy awards $1.9 billion to advanced grid transmission projects expected to add 23 gigawatts of capacity.

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to offer $1.9 billion to help fund 31 grid-improvement projects that are expected to add 23 GW of capacity to the transmission system. The project sponsors will reconductor or rebuild more than 1,500 miles of transmission lines and deploy grid-enhancing technologies across nearly 21,000 miles of transmission lines.

The funding comes from DOE's Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) program, which was enabled by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. "These selected SPARK projects put advanced transmission technologies to work, modernizing critical infrastructure, maximizing the capacity of existing lines, and unlocking more than 20 GW of additional grid capacity," said Catherine Jereza, Assistant Secretary for the DOE Office of Electricity.

Rather than building new transmission corridors—a process that can take decades—using advanced grid technologies will deliver grid upgrades in "record time," according to DOE. "By maximizing existing rights-of-way, the selected projects will eliminate congestion bottlenecks and avoid expensive greenfield construction—lowering operating costs to help reduce consumer electricity bills," the department said.

Project sponsors will contribute approximately $3.4 billion toward the planned infrastructure, bringing total spending to $5.3 billion. The selected utilities include Alabama Power, Duke Energy Carolinas, Eversource Energy, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, and PPL Electric.

At least two of the planned projects are designed to strengthen transmission links between the Eastern and Western interconnections, which currently have limited capacity to exchange electricity. The Colorado Energy Office is sponsoring a $1.2 billion project to deploy advanced transmission technologies that will "expand interregional transfer capability, improve system reliability, enhance operational flexibility, and strengthen grid resilience across Colorado, Texas, and neighboring regions." The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services is leading the $832 million Three Corners Connection project, which aims to establish a high-capacity link between the Southwest Power Pool in Oklahoma and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council in Colorado.