On March 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity announced an approximate $1.9 billion to catalyze electricity infrastructure investments to meet electricity demand growth and resource adequacy requirements, while reducing costs for American households and businesses.
Funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program was authorized to provide up to $10.5 billion in competitive funding over five years to states, tribes, electric utilities, and other eligible recipients to strengthen grid resilience and innovation. To provide clarity with the program’s updated emphasis, this funding opportunity has been renamed to Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK).
The kinds of projects OE is prioritizing include:
- Reconductoring with advanced conductors.
- Advanced Transmission Technologies that can increase the usable capacity of existing assets in real time.
- Large-scale, cross-regional transmission upgrades and coordinated planning.
Applicants must submit a concept paper by April 2, 2026 to be eligible to submit a full application. Full applications are due by May 20, 2026.
For topic areas, who can apply, and key dates: Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) | Department of Energy