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NRC has Approved Transfer of La Crosse License to La Crosse Solutions

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the transfer of the license for the La Crosse Nuclear Plant, which has been inactive since 1987, from Dairyland Power Cooperative to La Crosse Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of the radioactive waste disposal specialist Energy Solutions LLC.  La Crosse Solutions will lease the above-ground structures other than the spent fuel storage...

Construction begins on Dairyland Power and Richland Electric Solar Projects

On Monday, May 23, Dairyland Power Cooperative (Dairyland Power), Richland Electric Cooperative (Richland Electric) and SoCore Energy began construction on two solar projects.  The first is a community solar project being constructed for members of Richland Electric and the second is the first of 12 major solar projects announced by Dairyland Power in February.  SoCore Energy will...

USDA Invests More Than $200 Million in Electric Infrastructure Improvements in Five States

The USDA recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Rural Electrification Act and announced funding of more than $200 million to build and upgrade rural electric infrastructure in five states.  East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc. will receive a $131.8 million loan to acquire the Bluegrass Generating Facility, a natural gas fired power plant.

Middle Tennessee Cooperative Withdraws Offer to Purchase Electric Utility

Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corp. informed the Mayor of Murfreesboro that it has withdrawn its offer to purchase Murfreesboro Electric Department which was recently valued between $175.5 million and $247.3 million. The City Council is discussing whether to take away the utility’s authority to make decisions as a governing body and convert the members into an advisory board to...

Wabash Valley Power Association Purchases Participation Interest in Illinois Power Plant

Wabash Valley Power Association purchased a 5 percent participation interest in a 1,600-MW coal-powered electric plant in the Prairie State Energy Campus for $57 million.  The Campus, operational since 2012, is comprised of a power plant and an adjacent coal mine.  The deal was completed a day after Peabody Energy received final approval on a financing package that puts it on a path...

Texas Coop to Offer Broadband Service through WiFi

Texas-based Bandera Electric Cooperative (Bandera) plans to run fiber cables along its power poles to feed WiFi access points, which will provide wireless internet service to its customers.  Bandera estimates that service speeds will range from 10—50 Mbps.  The service will be tested in 200 homes for approximately six months before being rolled out to Bandera’s entire customer...

Hoosier Energy Constructing New Solar Panels in Johnson County, Indiana

Hoosier Energy, a G&T cooperative, plans to start construction within the next month on a $2.5 million solar farm on a site recently selected in Johnson County, Indiana.  Approximately 4,100 solar panels will be installed at this site, and each panel will eventually collect about 1.5 kilowatt hours of energy per day, totaling about 2 million kilowatt hours per year.  Hoosier Energy...

New Mexico Coop Obtains Solar PPA

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC) has entered into a 25-year agreement with Duke Energy Renewables (DEN) to purchase power from DEN’s 25-MW Caprock Solar Power Project near Tucumcari in Quay County, New Mexico, allowing WFEC to further diversify its generating portfolio.

Virginia Coop’s Permitting Dispute Drags On

A Pennsylvania environmental appeals board recently denied Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s motion for summary judgment in a permitting dispute related to a proposed gas-fired plant, citing the importance of a factual question—whether water discharged into a river after being used as coolant for the plant might end up in a local water authority’s intakes.

Alaska Coop to Receive $8 Million from FEMA

Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (Village Electric), located in Anchorage, Alaska, will be receiving more than $8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair damages from a devastating 2013 storm.  The storm produced 90 mph winds and significant flooding within Village Electric’s service territory.  The funds will be used to repair damaged lines and other...