What SPARK Means for Utilities Planning Their Next Grid Upgrade

Adding transmission capacity means looking at both what individual lines can carry and how power moves across the network. DOE’s SPARK selections bring those two priorities together, pairing conductor upgrades with technologies that help utilities make better use of existing corridors.

For utilities facing growing demand, the planning implication is clear: evaluate these options together, early enough to identify where each can address the constraints that matter.

On September 24, the U.S. Department of Energy announced its intention to help fund 31 projects across 26 states through its Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades initiative, known as SPARK.

According to DOE, the selected projects represent an anticipated $5.25 billion in total investment: $1.9 billion in federal funding and $3.35 billion in recipient cost sharing. The projects are expected to rebuild or reconductor more than 1,500 miles of transmission and deploy grid enhancing technologies across nearly 21,000 miles, making more than 23 gigawatts of additional capacity available.

These are projected outcomes across the program, with selected applications progressing through negotiations before final agreements. The scale of the proposed deployments nevertheless sends a clear signal: making better use of existing infrastructure has a substantial role alongside physical upgrades.

The opportunity is to plan conductor capacity and power flow together.

Why speed to power matters

Electricity demand in the US is growing. Data centers, AI infrastructure and new manufacturing all need firm, reliable power, and they often need it sooner than a new line can be permitted and built.

New transmission corridors remain essential, and SPARK does not suggest otherwise. In the meantime, utilities facing large load requests need options that work on the system they already have.

SPARK was designed with that in mind. The program brings physical upgrades such as reconductoring together with technologies that increase how effectively existing corridors can move power.

On most networks, at peak and after applying N-1 criteria, a single line or transformer reaches its limit while parallel paths still have room to carry more power.

Recent utility data shows the same pattern. In its grid utilization filing with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, required under a new state law, Dominion Energy reported a median transmission loading of 33% under modeled N-1 outage conditions. Dominion cautions that this does not mean 67% of capacity is available, and its data shows constraints concentrated in specific places at specific times. Those are exactly the places where targeted tools can make a difference.

The appropriate tool depends on what is limiting the network. Where uneven power flows are the constraint, flow control can help utilities use available paths more effectively. Where a conductor’s capability is the constraint, reconductoring may be needed. In some corridors, combining the two can provide greater value than evaluating either in isolation.

Where Advanced Power Flow Control fits

Advanced Power Flow Control is included in four applications selected for negotiation, spanning Arizona, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. These are four different systems with a common objective: moving more power through corridors that already exist.

In Montana, NorthWestern Energy’s application includes Smart Wires’ SmartValve™ advanced power flow control on an existing transmission corridor in southeastern Montana. The proposed deployment aims to increase transfer capability between Montana and Wyoming by making better use of the existing network. Final scope will be subject to negotiations and implementation planning.

Utilities are already using this approach outside the program. Georgia Power’s first large-scale SmartValve deployment includes 21 modules across two 230 kV circuits. In service since summer 2025, it provides near-term relief while preserving flexibility for longer-term network upgrades.

Flow control complements the other upgrades in the program. Reconductoring can increase a line’s physical capacity. Dynamic line ratings can help operators access additional capacity when weather and line conditions permit. Advanced Power Flow Control shifts power between available paths, helping the network make better use of the capacity it has.

As the proposed SPARK deployments progress through negotiations and implementation, they can provide further reference points for utilities evaluating flow control in their own planning.

What happens next

DOE’s announcement marks an important step. The next phase is to translate selected applications into final agreements and deliverable projects.

• Negotiation: selected applicants work with DOE toward final funding agreements.
• Engineering and implementation planning: project teams refine scope, integration requirements and delivery schedules.
• Delivery and results: implemented projects establish the capacity, reliability and operating benefits achieved.

For utilities that were not selected, the case for evaluating grid enhancing technologies still holds. Rising load, long lead times for new lines and congestion costs that customers ultimately pay are all reasons to consider them, with or without a federal grant. Utilities that evaluate these technologies alongside new transmission will have more options as demand grows.

Together with NorthWestern Energy and our partners on the other three selected applications, we look forward to advancing the proposed deployments through negotiations and implementation planning, and sharing results as projects are delivered.