The US Department of Energy has committed $1.9 billion in federal funds, matched by $3.35 billion in cost-share, to upgrade the nation's transmission grid. The 31 projects, spanning 26 states, aim to unlock at least 23 gigawatts of additional capacity—enough to power millions of homes—by making better use of existing infrastructure rather than building new power plants.
The initiative, dubbed SPARK, focuses on reconductoring over 1,500 miles of transmission lines with advanced conductors and deploying grid-enhancing technologies like sensors and power flow controllers across 21,000 miles. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the investments will "get more out of the infrastructure we already have" and improve reliability for roughly 100 million Americans.
However, the program may only partially address the crunch. Moody's warned earlier this month that datacenter construction is outpacing grid capacity additions, with US datacenter electricity consumption projected to hit 426 TWh by 2030—nearly double 2025 levels. This has spurred parallel investments in small modular reactors, geothermal, and recommissioned nuclear plants, while chipmakers like Nvidia push for more efficient datacenters that can return power to the grid when needed.