Two More Georgia Cooperatives to Offer Broadband
Posted on Feb 9, 2021
Central Georgia Electric Membership Corp. and Southern Rivers Energy, two Georgia electric cooperatives, say they and partners will invest more than $200 million to extend broadband internet to more than 80,000 customers in 18 counties between Atlanta and Macon.
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NRECA Urges Congress to Pass $10 Billion in Low-Income Energy Aid
Posted on Feb 8, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and six other energy groups wrote a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies urging Congress to approve an additional $10 billion in emergency assistance to low-income Americans struggling to pay their electric bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter asks for additional funds to be added to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides help with home heating and cooling for low-income households, including the...
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NRECA Expresses Concerns Regarding Winning Bidders in Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction
Posted on Feb 5, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), accompanied by a white paper from the NRECA and the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, detailing concerns about certain winning bids in the first phase of the recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction and offering remedies if an FCC review determines that any winners are unable to meet the commitments set forth in their bids.
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Southwest Power Pool Starts Energy Balancing Market in West
Posted on Feb 2, 2021
Southwest Power Pool announced on Monday, February 1, that at midnight it launched its Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) market. Several regional utilities are participating in this WEIS market, including Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Deseret Power Electric Cooperative and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association.
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Iowa Coop Receives REDLG Loan to Assist Local Business Expansion
Posted on Jan 29, 2021
Pella Cooperative Electric Association, an Iowa electric cooperative, and Co-Line Welding, Inc. successfully secured a $1 million loan through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program to assist with a $6,675,000 building expansion for Co-Line, a metal fabrication and manufacturing business and a member of Pella Cooperative Electric Association. The REDLG program provides zero-interest loans to rural utility providers, such as Pella Cooperative Electric, that in turn re-lend the money at zero interest to businesses within...
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Members of Congress Call on the FCC to Vet Prospective Rural Broadband Providers
Posted on Jan 29, 2021
A bipartisan group of senators and House members asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to verify the promises that broadband providers are making in their bid proposals to the recent Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction. This request is being made at the urging of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association due to the concerns that some of the winning bidders may not have the technical, financial, managerial or operational skills and resources to support their ambitious plans.
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Louisiana Coops Issue RFP for 925 MW of Capacity
Posted on Jan 22, 2021
On December 23, 2020, Southwest Louisiana Electric Membership Corporation, Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corporation and Concordia Electric Cooperative Inc. issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking power supply solutions for annual peak demand of 925 MW and 2,900,000 MWh of annual energy. The RFP was jointly issued, but the coops anticipate executing separate independent contracts for services.
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Electric Cooperatives Create Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Posted on Jan 19, 2021
A coalition of 29 electric cooperatives has created an electric vehicle charging network across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa designed to encourage coop consumer-members to drive electric vehicles (EVs). The coalition invested over $100,000 in more than 40 Level 2 and Level 3 chargers provided by ZEF Energy Inc. to form the CHARGE EV network.
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Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm Achieved Commercial Operation; Dairyland Power Cooperative the Offtaker
Posted on Jan 19, 2021
Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm, a 56-wind turbine facility located in Deuel County, South Dakota, achieved commercial operation on January 5, 2021. Dairyland Power Cooperative has a power purchase agreement with Tatanka Ridge Wind, LLC, for 51.6 MW of renewable energy. Dairyland’s portion of Tatanka Ridge’s output will deliver enough renewable energy to power approximately 16,000 homes.
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Northeastern REMC to Utilize Battery Storage System
Posted on Jan 15, 2021
In December, Northeastern REMC contracted with battery maker FlexGen for a total of 31 MW of lithium iron phosphate batteries to be fully operational by 2023. The 109-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, one of the largest to be owned and operated by an electric coop, is expected to save coop members $35 million over the next two decades.
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York Electric Cooperative and Comporium Latest in Telco Electric Broadband Partnership
Posted on Jan 12, 2021
York Electric Cooperative and Comporium plan to make gigabit fiber available to approximately 5,000 members in western York County and parts of Cherokee County, South Carolina. Comporium will be the service provider and will also offer streaming video, voice, home automation and security services.
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Maryland Electric Cooperative Awards $30 Million Energy Efficiency Contract
Posted on Jan 8, 2021
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative awarded global consulting and digital services provider ICF with a three-year, $30 million contract to implement its residential and commercial energy portfolios. Services are to include marketing, customer participation, and program management as well as energy efficiency pilot programs in schools.
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NRECA to Press Congress to Approve Repricing of RUS Loans
Posted on Jan 8, 2021
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is planning to urge Congress and the incoming Biden administration to support legislation to reprice Rural Utilities Service (RUS) loans at current low interest rates. The proposed legislation would allow coops to request rate adjustments on existing RUS loans within 180 days of the bill’s enactment and waive any prepayment penalties normally associated with RUS refinancing.
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Microgrid Being Planned Near Aspen, Colorado
Posted on Jan 7, 2021
Electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, and Pitkin County representatives are conducting a feasibility study for a local, renewable energy microgrid. The proposed microgrid would connect the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport with neighboring public facilities and would be incorporated into the existing infrastructure of Holy Cross Energy.
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