DOE finalizes major power line contracts

By Benjamin Storrow | 01/16/2025 07:03 AM EST

The deals commit $1.5 billion to transmission projects as the Biden administration races to finalize clean energy funding before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

A wind turbine at the Buckeye Wind Energy rises beyond electrical transmission lines.

A wind turbine at the Buckeye Wind Energy rises beyond electrical transmission lines Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kansas. Charlie Riedel/AP

The Department of Energy has completed contracts for four major transmission lines, providing a boost to clean energy development and grid reliability in the waning days of President Joe Biden’s term.

The agency provided a total of $1.5 billion in financial guarantees to the Aroostook Renewable Project, Cimarron Link, Southern Spirit Transmission and Southline Transmission Project, according to DOE officials.

The deals represent the culmination of the Biden administration’s race to finalize clean energy funding before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next week. Trump has pledged to cut funding for climate and clean energy projects.

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But a leading Biden administration official said the finalized contracts pave the way for transmission projects that will have a lasting impact on an electric system straining to deal with more severe weather and mounting needs for power.

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