AUSTIN, Texas — Texas could get a boost in voltage after the Biden administration announced a new grant to help connect the Texas power grid to the national grid. 

What You Need To Know

  • On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.5 billion in electric grid investments across the country

  • Part of that announcement included up to $360 million in federal funding for the construction of a 320-mile high-voltage power line that would connect Texas’ grid to power grids in the southeastern U.S. The line will run across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi

  • The project is called Southern Spirit, and it is being spearheaded by Pattern Energy. According to Pattern Energy’s website, the company–which says it’s investing $2.6 billion in the project–expects to begin full construction in 2028 and is targeting for the line to be active by 2031

  • The energy department’s news release said connecting the grid will “enhance reliability and prevent outages during extreme weather events” like the winter storm that hit Texas in 2021

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $1.5 billion in electric grid investments across the country. 

Part of that announcement included up to $360 million in federal funding for the construction of a 320-mile high-voltage power line that would connect Texas’ grid to power grids in the southeastern U.S. The line will run across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. 

The project is called Southern Spirit, and it is being spearheaded by Pattern Energy. According to Pattern Energy’s website, the company–which says it’s investing $2.6 billion in the project–expects to begin full construction in 2028 and is targeting for the line to be active by 2031. 

There have been some hiccups in the approval process of the Southern Spirit project, with opposition from Louisiana and Mississippi lawmakers and landowners, but it did receive approval from the Louisiana Public Service Commission in August. 

The DOE said in a news release announcing the new grants that Southern Spirit will provide 3,000 megawatts in bidirectional capacity and create 850 construction jobs and 305 permanent operation jobs. 

“The U.S. transmission network is the backbone of our nation’s electricity system. Though our grid has served U.S. energy needs for more than a century, our country’s needs are changing,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk in the release. “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to bolstering our power grid to improve the everyday life of Americans through affordable power, fewer blackouts, more reliable power, and additional jobs across our country.” 

The Texas Interconnection, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has been famous for its isolation from the rest of the country’s interconnected grid system. 

The energy department’s news release said connecting the grid will “enhance reliability and prevent outages during extreme weather events” like the winter storm that hit Texas in 2021. 

That storm decimated the ERCOT grid, causing millions of Texans to be without power and the deaths of at least 246 people. Since then, residents and lawmakers have called for investigations into why the outages happened and if the isolated grid should finally join the rest of the country. 

In February, Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, introduced a bill called the Connect the Grid Act that would require the Lone Star State to connect to the national grids. The bill would also require ERCOT to be subjected to oversight from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a sticking point for many state officials. 

Unlike Casar’s proposal, the Southern Spirit project will allow ERCOT to remain free from federal regulation.