National Energy Technology Laboratory · Department of Energy
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) — Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK)
Closed for this year
In short: National Energy Technology Laboratory gives grants of up to $250 million.
Key facts
Deadline
Next round: about Mar 12 – May 20, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder?
Last round: Mar 12 – May 20, 2026, as the funder posted it.
Next round: about Mar 12 – May 20, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder. The funder hasn't announced it. GrantMe estimated it from last year's dates.
Use the time now: get ready, read last year's guidelines on the funder's page, and save this grant to put the dates in your calendar.
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account.
Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist
Modification 000001: Issued to change the Informational Webinar posting date; modified NOFO Part 1, Section II.A.2 - Participant Limitations to clarify that Tennessee Valley Authority is eligible to apply as a subrecipient under all Topic Areas; Section III.F. - Topic Area 1:Grid Resilience (IIJA Section 40101(c)) to clarify the wording around applications that are not of interest; and Section IV.C - Concept Paper to delete the sentence "Each concept paper must be limited to a single concept, technology, or project."
Please see the NOFO for a full description of the modification.
SPARK is an opportunity to meet load demand growth and resource adequacy, and to address critical national, interregional, and regional needs. OE achieves these goals by stimulating investment in power system infrastructure and building partnerships between states, local governments, tribes, and power system operators to enhance reliability and affordability of the electric grid.
Projects submitted under this NOFO must demonstrate measurable improvements in electric grid capacity and system value (usefulness), combining physical capacity gains, which include solutions such as reconductoring or other infrastructure upgrades with operational efficiency and/or flexibility from other Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs). Applications must show how these complementary technologies expand transfer capability, strengthen reliability and resource adequacy, and reduce consumer cost impact while utilizing existing rights of way. DOE will prioritize projects that can be implemented quickly to deliver durable physical upgrades and dynamic operational gains that together increase the value, performance, security, resilience, affordability, and reliability of the nation’s electric grid.
Who can apply, from the official notice
See Section II.A of the Notice of Funding Opportunity for a full description of the eligibility requirements.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/6ce21142-b06c-40c7-86ab-76735a317a42 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/241d7695-9505-4f65-9818-044ef9eafcbe
Evaluation and selection criteria, as well as the process and timeline, will be discussed within the specific notice of funding opportunity.
Match
Matching Requirements: Percent: Other
All information regarding matching requirements will be included in the specific notice of funding opportunity; however, the program follows Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 to determine the specific requirements.
