The U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Deployment Office is investing up to $28 million through the Collaborations Advancing Rapid Load Additions (CARLA) Program to accelerate deployment of critical infrastructure that supports significant electricity demand driven by data center expansion and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, domestic manufacturing growth, and electrification. Administered by ConnectWerx, CARLA will help rapidly build grid capacity that can accommodate significant near-term electricity demand growth.

This funding opportunity will engage a collaborative or multiple collaboratives to develop new frameworks for system planning, cost recovery, and risk assessment for electricity demand growth. The goal is to facilitate rapid action that accommodates significant near-term load additions while minimizing or preventing rate increases for residential and small commercial and industrial customers.

Eligible collaboratives will include a state or public utility commission as the lead applicant, as well as at least one grid operator and one large load customer, such as a data center or energy-intensive manufacturer. GDO is looking for collaboratives that reflect a diversity of needs and use cases relating to load growth around the country, including both rural and urban environments. Collaborative members will work together to analyze electricity demand growth and plan for generation and grid modernization investments to ensure reliable, affordable service.

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