The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Duke Energy to receive $50 million to support the deployment of technologies designed to expand transmission capacity, improve grid reliability and address growing electricity demand in North and South Carolina.

The agreement would support transmission improvements in high-growth areas, including:

• Greenville and Spartanburg counties in South Carolina.
• Henderson and Polk counties in North Carolina.

Following the completion of negotiations with DOE, the funding is intended to offset a portion of projected project costs, reducing the amount that would otherwise be funded by customers while supporting transmission infrastructure investments.

The funding would help Duke Energy upgrade its existing transmission system to meet growing demand for reliable electricity across the region. The project would use advanced transmission technologies to increase capacity and bring upgrades online sooner than traditional approaches.

“Strengthening the grid requires targeted investments that improve reliability and help ensure our system is ready to meet customers’ evolving energy needs in a cost-effective manner,” said Scott Batson, executive vice president and chief power grid officer for Duke Energy. “I thank the Trump administration and DOE for selecting Duke Energy. By making smarter use of existing infrastructure, we're able to bring customer benefits to our communities faster, including improved outage response, a more flexible electric grid and greater readiness to meet the region's growing energy needs.”

Project Details

The project was selected through DOE's Speed and Power Through Accelerated Reconductoring and Other Key Advanced Transmission Technology (SPARK) program , which supports projects aimed at improving grid reliability, expanding transmission capacity and accelerating infrastructure development.

Combined with approximately $151 million in Duke Energy investment, the project represents more than $200 million in infrastructure improvements across the Carolinas.

The project will use Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) and Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs), including advanced conductors and dynamic line ratings, to increase the capacity of the existing transmission system. These technologies are intended to make greater use of existing infrastructure, allowing transmission upgrades to proceed more quickly while helping manage costs for customers.

Other Duke Energy Customer Savings and Infrastructure Initiatives

The DOE selection follows other Duke Energy initiatives involving customer savings and infrastructure investments.

In May, Duke Energy announced more than $5 billion in customer savings , including:

• Approximately $2.3 billion in net customer savings from 2027 to 2040 through the planned combination of Duke Energy's two electric utilities in the Carolinas.
• Up to $3.1 billion in net tax credit value through a multiyear agreement covering nuclear, solar and battery tax credits expected to be generated between 2025 and 2028. The savings are intended to reduce customer bills.

Also in May, Duke Energy announced that it had submitted an application for DOE loans  that could represent billions of dollars in additional customer savings as the company strengthens the electric grid, expands capacity and serves growing communities.

Earlier this year, DOE selected Duke Energy for nearly $96 million in grant funding  to support reliability and refurbishment projects at coal-fired power plants in Kentucky and North Carolina.