POWER UP Grant Program

POWER UP Grant Program

Offers research teams and institutions for POWER UP Grant in semiconductors, energy systems, and artificial intelligence.

POWER UP — Promote Opportunity with Electric Readiness for Underdeveloped Properties — is a New York State capital grant programme administered by Empire State Development that funds proactive development of electric capacity to create power-ready and shovel-ready industrial sites. The FY2025–2026 appropriation is $100 million, and the programme ceiling extends to up to $300 million subject to additional appropriations; awards are allocated on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. POWER UP is a direct response to the wave of large-scale semiconductor, electric vehicle, artificial intelligence data centre, and advanced manufacturing investments seeking sites with sufficient power infrastructure in New York State.

Eligible applicants are site developers, utility authorities, Industrial Development Agencies (IDAs), and municipalities — not technology companies or startups. Projects must demonstrate a clear plan for expanding electric capacity and delivering power-ready or shovel-ready industrial sites to attract new business investment. Award amounts per project are not specified on the public programme page; applicants should contact ESD directly to obtain application guidelines and understand the evaluation criteria. Because the programme operates on a rolling basis, there is no fixed deadline, but the $100 million FY26 pool is finite and earlier applications face less competition for available funds.

POWER UP sits within Empire State Development's broader portfolio of capital investment programmes alongside the REDC CFA, the Excelsior Jobs Program, and the DRI/NY Forward community revitalisation initiatives. For organisations developing or repositioning industrial sites — particularly in upstate New York where aging infrastructure creates competitive disadvantages in attracting manufacturing investment — POWER UP represents a direct mechanism to defray the cost of electrical upgrades that would otherwise make site development uneconomic. New York State's climate commitments and the federal CHIPS Act ecosystem create strong political tailwinds for continued appropriations beyond the initial $300 million ceiling.