DOE Picks 31 Grid Projects for $1.9B SPARK Reconductoring Push

The SPARK program spans 26 states, funding HTLS conductor replacement on 1,500 miles of lines and grid-enhancing technologies on 21,000 miles. DOE says it will unlock 23 GW of transmission headroom for AI data center demand.

• 31 projects across 26 states with about $1.9 billion in federal funding
• HTLS reconductoring adds 50–100% capacity on existing towers
• Reconductoring costs 50–75% less than new lines and takes 18–36 months
• US grid interconnection queue has reached 1.84 TW of pending requests