Grid / Transmission Buildout

Where it stands

Each step compares the last four complete quarters with the two years before. A theme usually moves left to right: companies push, Congress and the White House act, the government buys, and markets respond.

1. 1. Companies pushing
   Steady

   135 companies and groups lobbied on it in Q2 2026, against 128 a year earlier.

2. 2. Congress
   Rising

   9 bills introduced and 0 became law in the last four quarters, against 3 and 0 a year before that.

3. 3. White House and agencies
   Falling

   1 proposed rule, 0 final rules and 0 presidential actions in the last four quarters, against 5 a year before that.

4. 4. Government buying
   Steady

   200 purchase plans and award notices in the last four quarters, against 239 a year before that (records start October 2023).

5. 5. Markets
   Falling

   0 insider purchases in the theme's companies in the last four quarters, against 5 a year before that. Their stocks: +56% over the same year, against +14% for the S&P 500. Among the 50 largest holdings of the funds we track, these stocks were worth $20.7B at the end of Q1 2026, against $6.9B a year earlier; the figure moves with prices and with how many funds rank them that high.

The setup

The US government is making a significant, multi-agency push to upgrade and expand its electrical grid infrastructure, with a particular focus on military installations and critical national assets. This effort, initially driven by Department of Defense contracts, gained substantial momentum with a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act to bolster domestic grid supply chains. The Department of Energy is now channeling billions into large-scale transmission projects and grid resilience initiatives.

How this developed

1. Mar 20, 2025Department of the Army awards Yellowstone Electric Co. $30.6M for a generator step-up unit replacement at Wolf Creek Powerplant.Federal contract
2. Sep 23, 2025Department of the Navy awards Contrack Watts Inc. $183M for electrical upgrades at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, WA.Federal contract
3. Dec 22, 2025Department of the Army awards CCI Facility Contractors, LLC $69.2M for Primary Substation 4 at Redstone Arsenal, AL.Federal contract
4. Apr 20, 2026Presidential Memorandum invokes DPA Section 303 for grid infrastructure and supply chain capacity, authorizing DOE to expand domestic production.Executive action
5. May 1, 2026Bureau of Reclamation awards Olsson Industrial Electric, Inc. $68.7M for GSU transformer replacements.Federal contract
6. Sep 24, 2026DOE awards Minnesota Department of Commerce $2.3B for a transmission study and portfolio to accelerate interconnection across seven Midwest states.Federal contract
7. Sep 29, 2026DOE awards Montana Department of Commerce $4.3B for the North Plains Connector Interregional Innovation HVDC transmission line.Federal contract

The full story, year by year

* Year to date. Lobbying is the most companies and groups naming the theme in any one quarter. Insider buys are officer and director open-market purchases in PWR, MYRG, POWL, AZZ, IESC. Fund holdings are the value of these companies among the top 50 positions of the funds whose 13F filings we track, at the latest quarter of each year. Stock returns are an equal-weight basket of the same companies with prices on file, split-adjusted, without dividends, against the S&P 500 over the same quarters.

• Lobbying before 2025 is still loading for this theme, so earlier years undercount.
• Lobbying reports for Q3 2026 are still being filed, so the comparison uses Q2 2026.

Why it matters

• The Department of Defense initiated significant grid upgrades at military installations, with over $350M in contracts (E1, E3, E4, E5, E6, E10) awarded for substations, electrical upgrades, and transformer replacements across Army and Navy facilities.
• A Presidential Determination (E8) invoked the Defense Production Act, signaling a national security imperative to expand domestic grid infrastructure and supply chain capacity, empowering the DOE to provide financial support and waive DPA requirements for expediency.
• The Department of Energy is now executing large-scale grid modernization through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, committing $6.6B in grants (E11, E12, E13) for major transmission projects, renewable energy integration, and grid resilience, including a $4.3B HVDC line.
• The focus extends beyond military bases to national grid resilience, with specific attention to accelerating interconnection for new generation (E11) and addressing the impact of data centers on electricity loads (E12), indicating a comprehensive federal strategy.

Companies exposed to this theme

The record · 11 items, oldest first

• Mar 20, 2025Federal contractYELLOWSTONE ELECTRIC CO: WOLF CREEK POWERPLANT GENERATOR STEP-UP UNIT (GSU) TRANSFORMER REPLACEMENT PROJECT
• Sep 23, 2025Federal contractCONTRACK WATTS INC: MILCON P859 DBB CVN 78 AIRCRAFT CARRIER ELECTRICAL UPGRADE FOR VARIOUS SUBSTATION LOCATIONS WITHIN NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, WA
• Dec 22, 2025Federal contractCCI FACILITY CONTRACTORS, LLC: RSA PRIMARY SUBSTATION 4 REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL
• Jan 14, 2026Federal contractMANSON CONSTRUCTION CO: CONSTRUCTS A NEW 69KV SUBSTATION X AND UPGRADES EXISTING FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO INCREASE TOTAL PIER LIMA ELECTRICAL CAPACITY.
• Feb 20, 2026Federal contractPAF ELECTRICAL, INC.: GSU TRANSFORMERS FOR OAHE AND FORT PECK DAMS
• Apr 20, 2026Executive actionPresidential Memorandum: Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Grid Infrastructure, Equipment, and Supply Chain Capacity
• May 1, 2026Federal contractOLSSON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRIC, INC: TRD GSU TRANSFORMER REPLACEMENTS
• Jun 30, 2026Federal contractCCI GENERAL CONTRACTORS LLC: P695 WILL CONSIST OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT INCLUDING SHORE POWER SUBSTATION REPLACEMENT, MEDIUM VOL
• Sep 24, 2026Federal contractDEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MINNESOTA: $2.3B Department of Energy Grant
• Sep 29, 2026Federal contractTHE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: $197M Department of Energy Grant
• Sep 29, 2026Federal contractDEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MONTANA: $4.3B Department of Energy Grant

Some keyword matches were judged unrelated to this theme and are excluded from the record above.

How this story evolved

• Oct 16, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal50 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOD and DOE commit over $6.5B to grid infrastructure upgrades and expansion, driven by DPA invocation.

  The US government is making a significant, multi-agency push to upgrade and expand its electrical grid infrastructure, with a particular focus on military installations and critical national assets. This effort, initially driven by Department of Defense contracts, gained substantial momentum with a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act to bolster domestic grid supply chains. The Department of Energy is now channeling billions into large-scale transmission projects and grid resilience initiatives.

• Oct 15, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal122 recordslatest record Oct 14, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid modernization and transmission projects, following a DPA order on grid infrastructure capacity.

  The US government is making a significant, coordinated push to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a particular focus on integrating renewable energy and enhancing resilience. This effort is spearheaded by the Department of Energy, backed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reinforced by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act to secure domestic supply chains for grid components.

• Oct 14, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal48 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOE commits $6.7B in grants for grid modernization and transmission, following DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is making a significant, multi-billion dollar push to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a particular focus on transmission infrastructure and supply chain resilience. This effort is being driven by the Department of Energy through large grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reinforced by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act.

• Oct 13, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal48 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOE commits $6.7B in grants for grid modernization and transmission, following DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is making a significant, multi-billion dollar push to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a particular focus on transmission infrastructure and supply chain resilience. This effort is being driven by the Department of Energy through large grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reinforced by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act.

• Oct 12, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal48 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOE commits $6.7B in grants for grid modernization and transmission, following DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is making a significant, multi-billion dollar push to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a particular focus on transmission infrastructure and supply chain resilience. This effort is being driven by the Department of Energy through large grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reinforced by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act.

• Oct 11, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal125 recordslatest record Oct 9, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid modernization and transmission, following a DPA order to boost domestic production of grid infrastructure.

  The US government is making a concerted push to modernize and expand the domestic electric grid, driven by both national security concerns and renewable energy integration goals. This effort began with the Department of Defense identifying specific infrastructure needs, but significantly accelerated with a Presidential Determination under the Defense Production Act. The Department of Energy is now executing large-scale grants to support new transmission projects and grid resilience.

• Oct 10, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal48 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOE commits $6.7B in grants for grid modernization and transmission, following DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is making a significant, multi-billion dollar push to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a particular focus on transmission infrastructure and supply chain resilience. This effort is being driven by the Department of Energy through large grants funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and reinforced by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act.

• Oct 9, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal128 recordslatest record Oct 7, 2026

  DOE awarded $6.6B in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants for grid modernization and transmission, following a DPA order on grid infrastructure.

  The US government is making a concerted effort to modernize and expand its electrical grid infrastructure, driven by both national security concerns and renewable energy integration goals. This initiative gained significant momentum with a Presidential Determination under the Defense Production Act, followed by multi-billion dollar grants from the Department of Energy. The focus is on enhancing resilience, expanding transmission capacity, and supporting domestic manufacturing of critical grid components.

• Oct 8, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal126 recordslatest record Oct 7, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid resilience and transmission, following DPA order to expand domestic capacity.

  The US government is making a concerted effort to modernize and secure the national electric grid, with a particular focus on expanding transmission capacity and domestic manufacturing. This initiative, driven by the Department of Energy and backed by presidential authority, aims to integrate more renewable energy and enhance overall grid resilience. The strategy involves significant federal grants and the use of the Defense Production Act to bolster supply chains.

• Oct 7, 2026, 5:16 AM ETreal125 recordslatest record Oct 7, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid resilience and transmission, following DPA order on infrastructure capacity.

  The US government is making a concerted effort to modernize and expand its electric grid infrastructure, driven by national defense concerns and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This initiative began with the Department of Defense identifying critical infrastructure needs and culminated in significant Department of Energy grants for large-scale transmission projects.

• Oct 6, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal335 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid modernization and transmission projects after DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is making a concerted effort to modernize and expand the national electric grid, driven by a Presidential Determination under the Defense Production Act. This action prioritizes domestic manufacturing of grid components and is followed by multi-billion dollar grants for transmission infrastructure. The focus is on enhancing resilience and integrating renewable energy sources across the Midwest.

• Oct 5, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal211 recordslatest record Oct 4, 2026

  DOE commits $6.6B to grid modernization and transmission, driven by DPA invocation for supply chain capacity.

  The US government is accelerating efforts to modernize and expand the national electric grid, with a significant focus on domestic supply chain resilience. This push is underpinned by a Presidential Determination invoking the Defense Production Act, authorizing the Department of Energy to bolster domestic manufacturing of critical grid components. This has quickly translated into multi-billion dollar grants for transmission infrastructure and studies.