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Wright Announces up to $50 Million for Virginia and West Virginia Transmission Upgrades in Lynchburg, Oct. 16, 2026

October 16, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:06:45

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced in Lynchburg, Virginia, that the Department of Energy will deploy up to $50 million in Defense Production Act funding for a Virginia and West Virginia transmission project, in the department’s upload of the October 16, 2026 event at an Appalachian Power substation. Wright was joined by Representative John McGuire and Appalachian Power President and COO Brian Abraham, who hosted the announcement.

The project, led by Virginia Energy in coordination with Appalachian Power, Potomac Edison, and regional partners, will deploy advanced conductors and real-time transmission monitoring on existing lines, according to the Department of Energy. The department said the work — including rebuilding about 14 miles of line near Lynchburg and fitting four circuits with dynamic line rating technology — could add roughly 290 megawatts of transmission capacity across Appalachian Power’s Virginia system, one to four years sooner than conventional upgrades, with the utility matching the federal money. “It is taking existing infrastructure to deliver more electricity,” Wright said at the announcement.

Why it matters

Lynchburg is the field stop for the department’s grid strategy in miniature: rather than waiting years on new corridors, the administration is paying to squeeze more capacity out of lines that already exist, and counting the megawatts as they land.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: up to $50 million in Defense Production Act funding for the Virginia–West Virginia transmission project, as announced October 16, 2026 — an estimated 290 megawatts of added capacity if the full award is secured and built. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no entry is published from this page.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright in Lynchburg, Virginia to Announce Federal Funding” (official upload, embedded above); Department of Energy, “Energy Department Announces Virginia and West Virginia Transmission Project to Receive Defense Production Act Funding,” October 2026.