US Department of Commerce Invests $4 Million in Workforce Training Center
Posted on Aug 24, 2020
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $4 million grant to the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives to construct a new lineworker training facility in Mandan, ND. The EDA grant will be matched with more than $1 million in local investment.
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SMECO Approved to Offer 100% Green Option for Default Service
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
The Maryland Public Service Commission, in a 4-1 decision, approved the application of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SMECO) to implement a proposed option for SMECO members who take Standard Offer Service the choice to have SMECO make the power supply for their load one hundred percent “green.”
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Virginia Coop to Build an Energy Storage Project by 2021
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative has partnered with Energy Point Energy, a Charlottesville-based battery storage development firm, to construct a 2 MW energy storage facility in Spotsylvania County, VA, which is expected to be in operation by early 2021.
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North Carolina’s Coops Set a Goal of Zero-Net Carbon by 2050
Posted on Aug 21, 2020
North Carolina’s 26 electric coops have announced a goal to cut their carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. In order to meet this goal, the electric coops plan to utilize advanced technologies that make the electric grid more flexible, efficient and resilient, as well as continuing their use of carbon-free nuclear energy. This effort is part of a larger initiative called “Brighter Future” to improve the quality of life for local communities.
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NRECA, DOE Launch Rural Battery Storage Research Projects
Posted on Aug 18, 2020
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) this week launched four rural battery storage projects in partnership with five electric cooperatives and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity. Projects are being funded in part by DOE and will examine how energy storage systems can improve the resilience of critical infrastructure in rural areas.
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Trump Administration Invests $371 Million to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure in 11 States
Posted on Aug 17, 2020
The Trump Administration recently announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $371 million to build and improve critical electric infrastructure that will benefit more than 222,000 rural residents and commercial customers in 11 states. Specifically, this funding will help build and improve 3,741 miles of line to improve electric reliability and resilience in rural areas in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
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Missouri Earmarks $3 Million for Broadband
Posted on Aug 14, 2020
Missouri’s Emergency Broadband Investment Program will receive more than $3 million to fund sixteen broadband projects from eight providers. The investment is expected to connect almost 2,000 Missouri households to the internet.
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Pandemic Likely to Continue Affecting Electricity Demand
Posted on Aug 7, 2020
According to a recent CoBank report, demand for electricity is not expected to rebound to pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2022. While the drop in commercial demand has been somewhat offset by residential demand due to stay-at-home orders, there are signs this sector will also weaken. This may result in utilities taking cost-saving measures, such as coal-fired plants retiring at a faster rate.
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Colquitt EMC Partners with Windstream for Fiber Deployment
Posted on Aug 4, 2020
Colquitt EMC has struck a partnership with Windstream Communications, a provider of high-speed broadband internet, to expand the footprint of its fiber broadband service into rural areas of Georgia. Under the agreement, Windstream and Colquitt EMC, which serves seven counties, will share responsibility for expanding Windstream’s fiber optic broadband network over the next several years to reach some of Georgia’s most rural areas. Once the build-out is completed, Colquitt EMC’s members will have access to Windstream’s Kinetic broadband service with internet speeds up to 1...
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Kansas Coop Consolidation Receives Board Approvals
Posted on Aug 3, 2020
The Boards of Trustees for Nemaha-Marshall Electric Cooperative Assn., Inc. in Axtell, Kansas and Doniphan Electric Cooperative Assn., Inc. in Troy, Kansas have approved a joint member vote on a consolidation of the two electric cooperatives to be held in October 2020. Under the proposed consolidation plan, a new legal entity, Northeast Kansas Electric Cooperative, Inc., will be created. The combined cooperatives will serve over 5,000 customers in eight counties.
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COVID-19 Relief Funds to Expand Internet in Mississippi
Posted on Jul 31, 2020
The Mississippi Public Utilities Staff awarded $66 million of federal CARES Act funds to rural electric cooperatives to expand high-speed internet connectivity in the state. Mississippi has long lagged behind the nation in internet coverage and speeds. The grant recipients have agreed to install a combined 2,765 new miles of fiber for internet by the end of the year, and another 1,980 miles by the end of next year.
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Virginia Coop Partners with Utility and Broadband Company to Improve Internet Service to Rural Residents
Posted on Jul 27, 2020
Northern Neck Electric Cooperative is partnering with All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy to bring fiber-optic internet service to rural Virginia residents. As more and more human interactions are taking place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, fast internet service is needed now more than ever. If the project is approved by the State Corporation Commission, construction is likely to begin in fall 2021 and be completed within a year.
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NRECA Urges Congress to Include RUS Debt Relief in Upcoming COVID-19 Stimulus Package
Posted on Jul 24, 2020
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which represents more than 900 electric cooperatives in the US, is urging Congress to include a provision in the next COVID-19 stimulus package that would allow electric coops to reprice loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) at current low interest rates without penalties. Current RUS loan rules apply hefty prepayment penalties for refinancing debt. The change could save coops more than $10 billion.
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Kansas Cooperatives Helped by PPP
Posted on Jul 20, 2020
Six Kansas electric cooperatives recently applied for and received up to $20 million in loans as part of the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a $2 trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress in late March to help small businesses keep their workforces employed during the coronavirus pandemic.
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