The Trump administration finalized a $1.6 billion loan guarantee on Oct. 16 through the Department of Energy to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines throughout five states, mostly in the Midwest.
The project offers billions to AEP Transmission, a subsidiary of Ohio-based American Electric Power—one of the nation’s largest power companies—to upgrade power lines in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, mostly enhancing grid reliability and capacity, according to the Energy Department.
“We already have transmission lines in place, but by replacing the conductors themselves, we can get more electricity that can avoid blackouts,” a senior administration official said on Thursday….