Ohio’s top utility regulator has committed to requesting millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to improve the electric transmission in the state and limit customer bill increases.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio plans this month to request $150 million in funding through a DOE initiative called SPARK – “Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades.”
The DOE website says successful applications will show how various technologies “expand the ability to transfer power between regions of the country, strengthen reliability and resource adequacy, and reduce consumer cost impact while utilizing existing rights of way.”
If the federal agency provides the funding, a $150 million match by transmission owners in the state would also be required by the SPARK program, PUCO spokesman Matt Schilling said via email.
One of those transmission owners is Akron-based FirstEnergy. Brooke Conlan, a spokesperson for the utility, said via email, “SPARK funding would help us take a closer look at advanced transmission technologies and better evaluate how they could work on our system.”
Conlan said such technologies “may offer some day-to-day operational benefits” but “can also come with limitations and do not replace the need for careful transmission planning.”
Various aspects of “any new technology” need to be weighed, including costs for customers, Conlan said.
A news release from the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, a state agency dedicated to serving the interests of residential utility customers, pointed out that SPARK “focuses on maximizing existing infrastructure.”
The OCC release urged utilities to upgrade their “existing infrastructure, including advanced transmission technologies,” as opposed to building new transmission lines.
“Rising energy demand should not automatically mean building costly new transmission lines at Ohio families’ expense,” OCC Director Maureen Willis said in the release. “By leveraging federal programs like SPARK and improving load forecasting, utilities can modernize the grid, lower costs, and prioritize real savings over unnecessary construction.”
While customer concerns have grown around data centers in the region and electricity demands have risen in part because of data centers, Schilling said “… more broadly Ohio is interested in making sure the transmission system is cost-effective for all consumers by making the most of existing infrastructure where possible.”
OCC spokesperson Merrilee Embs said through email that because “SPARK funds are limited, discretionary and may cover only portions of infrastructure,” they may not shield customers from paying more costs because of the electricity demands of data centers.
“Even if SPARK offsets some initial capital costs, utilities could see recovery from consumers for remaining distribution upgrades, transmission expansion, carrying costs and return on equity, operations and maintenance and stranded or underutilized infrastructure if projected load does not materialize,” Embs said. “These subsidies do not eliminate the need for enforceable protections ensuring data centers – not residential consumers – pay the full costs created by their load growth.”
Schilling said PUCO aims to file its final SPARK application by the May 20 deadline set by the DOE. The federal agency’s website lists an August 2026 anticipated selection notification date and an anticipated award timeline of October 2026 to January 2027.
Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@usatodayco.com or on X @pwilliamsOH. Sign up for the Beacon Journal’s business and consumer newsletter, “What’s The Deal?”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Federal funding could help Ohioans avoid some electric bill jumps
Reporting by Patrick Williams, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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