NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Energy Department has selected Entergy to receive $13.7 million in federal funding to improve power delivery across Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the energy provider announced Wednesday. 

The investment is meant to help Entergy provide more reliable and affordable electricity by deploying advanced transmission technology to strengthen grid performance and unlock additional transmission capacity.

Through the Department of Energy's SPARK program, Entergy says it will implement dynamic line rating technology, targeted geographic surveys, substation and terminal upgrades and hardware integration across 1,125 miles of existing transmission lines across the three states.

The provider claims these upgrades will help it more effectively manage its energy infrastructure in areas experiencing load growth driven by new industrial development, manufacturing and data center expansion.

The project is designed to rapidly unlock at least a 25-percent increase in transfer capability on selected transmission corridors by using real-time line ratings and operational enhancements. Early modeling has shown the potential for a 29 to 61-percent increase in available power capacity across the project area, Entergy says.