PPL Electric Utilities has been selected to receive up to $71.5 million in federal funding for a transmission line upgrade project in eastern Pennsylvania.

The funding, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy, will support the Montour Grid Resilience and Advanced Reconductoring Project, which calls for rebuilding about 29.3 miles of an existing 230-kilovolt transmission line.

According to PPL, the project will replace aging infrastructure and increase the amount of electricity the line can carry while improving reliability. The corridor serves customers in the Susquehanna Valley, Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the investment is intended to strengthen the electric grid, move more power through existing infrastructure and support growing energy demand.

PPL Electric President Christine Martin said the federal funding will help offset the cost of upgrades while allowing the utility to modernize equipment and test new technologies.

The project received support from Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick and Reps. Dan Meuser and Ryan Mackenzie, who said the investment will improve reliability and help meet future energy needs.

As part of the project, PPL plans to install advanced conductors capable of carrying more electricity and performing better during periods of high demand and hot weather.

The utility also plans to expand fiber-optic communications along the corridor and test distributed acoustic sensing technology, which uses fiber-optic cables to help monitor conditions on the transmission system.

PPL and the Department of Energy will spend the coming months finalizing the terms of the funding award.