Utility Dive examines how OATI’s ‘PowerNow’ initiative could increase transmission capacity through near-real-time coordination, software-based dynamic line ratings, and AI-enhanced resource dispatch.
Utility Dive has spotlighted OATI PowerNow, an initiative designed to help utilities and grid operators unlock 10–20% more transmission capacity from existing infrastructure.
The article arrives as data centers, domestic manufacturing, electrification, and other large loads intensify demand for new grid capacity. While continued transmission investment remains essential, PowerNow addresses a parallel opportunity: getting more from the infrastructure already in service through better software, data, and operational coordination.
One constraint can have an outsized impact
OATI Chief Operations Officer Kevin Sarkinen told Utility Dive that the complexity of the bulk power system can make it difficult for operators to evaluate large-load interconnection requests and determine how much capacity is truly available.
A study conducted by OATI in preparation for its funding application found that changing the rating limit on a single constrained line could shift available grid capacity by 100–200%, depending on system flows. Sarkinen said the potential improvement on individual lines could reach hundreds of megawatts.
That finding illustrates the principle behind PowerNow: some of the capacity urgently needed by the U.S. economy may already exist but remains inaccessible because of conservative ratings, delayed information exchanges, and operational constraints.
Three paths to more usable transmission capacity
PowerNow combines three complementary capabilities:
- Automated inter-regional coordination to replace periodic exchanges between neighboring transmission operators with near-real-time constraint updates.
- Software-based dynamic line ratings that use weather, conductor, and geospatial data to calculate more accurate operating limits without requiring sensors on every monitored line.
- AI-enhanced redispatch and congestion management through OATI AI Genie™, enabling flexible resources such as storage, demand response, and controllable loads to respond more precisely to transmission constraints.
PowerNow builds on OATI platforms already supporting more than 95% of U.S. bulk power transactions. Its coalition brings together organizations spanning all three U.S. Interconnections, including California ISO, New York ISO, Southwest Power Pool, PacifiCorp, Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, and other utility and research partners.
OATI submitted PowerNow for consideration under the U.S. Department of Energy’s $1.9 billion SPARK funding opportunity, which supports rapidly deployable technologies that can increase grid capacity, efficiency, affordability, and reliability. Awards are expected to be announced sometime in August.