Input Stories

The Department of Agriculture will invest more than $7.3 billion in renewable energy projects in rural areas of the U.S. (CNET).

What’s going on: “The funds, which will come from the Inflation Reduction Act and are being awarded by the Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America program, are meant to provide reliable electricity and create jobs in clean energy.” It’s the first round of funding under the program.

• The move—the most significant infusion of government cash into rural electrification in nine decades—comprises a total of 16 projects across 23 states.
• The money will go to rural electric cooperatives, private, nonprofit utility companies that deliver electricity to members in less populated areas.

Who gets what: The awardees “will leverage private investments of more than $29 billion to build more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy for rural communities across the country,” according to the USDA. Financing for this first round through the New ERA program includes:

• Approximately $580 million for the Dairyland Power Cooperative in Wisconsin to develop solar and wind power, in addition to energy storage;
• An as-yet undisclosed amount to Minnkota Power for a carbon capture and storage project in North Dakota and wind energy procurement in Minnesota; and
• An as-yet undisclosed amount to Basin Electric Power Cooperative to “procure both additional renewable energy generation and enhance existing cooperative-owned renewable assets, which are expected to total over 1,400 megawatts across Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota” (Energy Central).

Why it’s important: “Grid reliability is critical to the continuous operation of manufacturing facilities in the U.S., which produce the everyday items Americans rely on,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen. “An all-of-the-above energy portfolio ensures that we have reliable, readily available energy where and when it’s needed.”