Ohio is receiving a $273 million grant to help update the state's electric infrastructure, and more than half of the money will go toward increasing the capacity of the transmission grid.
The grant is coming from the U.S. Department of Energy, according to a media release from Gov. Mike DeWine's office. The grant is part of the DOE's Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) initiative.
Ohio is among 26 states receiving funding through the SPARK initiative for electricity grid improvements. The initiative will provide $5.25 billion for 31 projects aimed at improving grid reliability and lowering electricity costs for about 100 million Americans, according to the DOE website.
“Upgrading existing infrastructure makes sense, and this grant opportunity allows us to do that," DeWine said in the announcement. "Ohio, like much of the country, is facing increasing electricity demand over the next decade. Thank you to the Trump administration and [DOE] Secretary Chris Wright for this funding that will help Ohio meet the needs of our businesses and our citizens.”
Out of the $237 million being doled out to the state, $137 million of it will go to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to work with transmission utilities that will implement advanced technologies to increase the capacity of the transmission grid.
According to PUCO, the upgrades made with funding from the grant would add the equivalent of 5,820 megawatts of capacity to the state's electric grid, which would eliminate the need to build additional power plants and transmission lines.
“As Ohio and the nation work to restore traditional domestic manufacturing and bring large loads onto the system, we need a strong and robust energy grid," Jenifer French, PUCO chair, said in the prepared state news release.
"We are so appreciative of the funding from the U.S. DOE that will allow Ohio to deploy advanced transmission technologies, ensuring that we responsibly and affordably enhance the grid.”
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio receiving $273M federal grant to update electric grid infrastructure
