DOE Announces $1.9 Billion SPARK Program for Grid Reconductoring

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity announced approximately $1.9 billion in competitive funding on March 12, 2026, for transmission grid upgrades under the Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) program. Projects selected through SPARK will deploy reconductoring – replacing existing power lines with higher-capacity conductors – alongside Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) to expand grid capacity without building new rights of way. Concept papers were due April 2, 2026; full applications close May 20, 2026, with selections anticipated in August 2026.

What SPARK Covers

The government is doling out $1.9 billion for energy projects, split into three categories. $427 million is earmarked for “Topic Area 1,” which focuses on…rid resilience projects, funding between five and ten awards ranging from $10 million to $100 million each. Topic Area 2 directs $614 million toward smart grid deployment. Topic Area 3 targets grid innovation with $862 million, awarding between three and eight projects at $100 million to $250 million each. Eligible Advanced Transmission Technologies include advanced power flow control devices, high-temperature low-sag conductors, and topology optimization software – all technologies that increase how much power an existing line transfers without physical expansion.

SPARK replaces the Biden-era Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, which committed $10.5 billion over five years. As of late 2024, GRIP had announced roughly $7.4 billion in awards across two rounds. The Trump administration rebranded the program under the Unleashing American Energy executive order, keeping the competitive grant structure while refocusing applications on rapid deployment of reconductoring specifically.

Why It Matters

U.S. residential electricity averaged 18 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2026, a rise of approximately 37 percent from 2020 levels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Utilities attribute a significant portion of that increase to transmission and distribution costs on a grid that was not built for today’s demand profile. AI data centers, domestic manufacturing expansion, and electrification of transportation and heating have pushed load forecasts sharply upward across every region. Julia Selker, executive director of the WATT Coalition, stated that electric utilities have already demonstrated ATTs save billions of dollars; SPARK creates a competitive pathway for more of those upgrades to move forward faster. Transmission advocates say reconductoring is among the fastest routes to additional grid capacity because it reuses existing infrastructure and right-of-way corridors.

Critical Perspective

Reconductoring existing lines delivers measurable gains in transfer capacity, but it does not address segments of the grid where no line yet exists. Larry Gasteiger, executive director of WIRES, stated in response to the SPARK announcement that optimizing an aging grid will not be enough – new construction must accompany optimization efforts. With concept papers due April 2 and full applications due May 20, project timelines are compressed. Whether SPARK funding will flow fast enough to meet the load growth already underway at utilities in the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions remains an open question.

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