Kansas Coop Contemplates Construction of Coal Plant
Posted on Nov 15, 2019
Sunflower Electric Power Corp. (“Sunflower”), an electric power cooperative in Kansas, plans to build the Holcomb 2 Plant, an approximately 895 MW coal plant. However, Sunflower must begin construction of the coal plant by March 2020 or it will lose its state construction permit. Against the backdrop of current prevailing politics regarding coal-fired plants and the steady retirement of coal-fired units in America since 2014 (when the last large coal plant in America came online), it is questionable whether the Holcomb 2 coal plant will be completed.
Continue Reading
New Mexico Cooperative Adds Solar + Storage, Reaches 100% Daytime Solar
Posted on Nov 8, 2019
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative will reach its goal of 100% solar-powered daytime energy. The cooperative will hit its target nine months early after the completion of two new solar + storage developments with Torch Clean Energy.
Continue Reading
Delaware Electric Cooperative Expands Solar Farm
Posted on Nov 7, 2019
Delaware Electric Cooperative has signed an agreement that will double the size of its 23-acre Bruce Henry Solar Farm near Georgetown.
Continue Reading
USDA Invests in Rural Electric Infrastructure Improvements
Posted on Nov 7, 2019
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $1.4 billion in projects in 21 states to build and improve rural electric infrastructure.
Continue Reading
USDA Invests in Rural Broadband for Virginia Families
Posted on Nov 7, 2019
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it has invested nearly $3.8 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for more than 1,250 rural households in Virginia.
Continue Reading
VEC Provides Savings for Members
Posted on Nov 7, 2019
Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) has saved its members $90,000 in peak capacity market costs since it started operating a utility-scale lithium-ion battery in July. The system allows VEC to discharge 400 MWhs onto the grid when it’s most needed to reduce peak capacity market costs.
Continue Reading
NRECA CEO Promotes Diverse Electric Generation Options
Posted on Oct 31, 2019
In testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee of Congress, Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), stressed the importance of a diverse mix of fuel, including coal and natural gas, to provide affordable electricity rates from electric cooperatives serving rural communities. Jim Matheson was one of six witnesses to testify at the hearing titled “Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Solutions for the U.S. Power Sector.”
Continue Reading
Q&A: RURAL Act Sponsors Discuss Strategy for Passage
Posted on Oct 29, 2019
More than a third of senators have now signed on to support the RURAL Act, a bipartisan bill to protect electric cooperatives’ tax-exempt status. As of Monday, 38 senators were co-sponsoring the bill, which would allow not-for-profit coops to accept government grants for disaster relief, broadband service, and other priorities without losing their tax-exempt status.
Continue Reading
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Delivers Broadband Grant to Forked Deer Electric Cooperative
Posted on Oct 28, 2019
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently delivered a $2.8 million grant to Forked Deer Electric Cooperative for rural broadband development. The grant is part of the ReConnect program, which began in 2018 with a $600 million budget to be disbursed for rural broadband in 2019.
Continue Reading
Minnesota Coop Receives USDA Funding to Improve Electric Systems
Posted on Oct 24, 2019
Meeker Cooperative Light and Power Association (Meeker) will use a $7.1 million loan to install a fiber backbone that will enable two-way communications between 14 substations and the coop’s headquarters. The funds are a part of the $22 million Meeker received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Electric Loan Program to improve its distribution system.
Continue Reading
DOE Announces Funding to Advance Wind Energy
Posted on Oct 24, 2019
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is one of 13 projects to receive a total of $28 million to advance wind energy nationwide.
Continue Reading
Majority of House Members Co-sponsor RURAL Act
Posted on Oct 17, 2019
A majority of the members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsoring the RURAL Act, which is a bill addressing electric cooperatives’ tax-exempt status.
Continue Reading
House Lawmakers Co-sponsor Bill to Solve Unintended Tax Consequence Problem
Posted on Oct 14, 2019
A bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives recently co-sponsored legislation to fix an unintended consequence for electric cooperatives from the 2017 federal tax law changes. Under the current federal tax laws that were adopted in 2017, coops that receive federal, state or local government grants are at risk of losing their tax-exempt status. The RURAL Act aims to revert this unintended tax impact on electric coops.
Continue Reading
USDA Invests in Rural Electric Infrastructure
Posted on Oct 11, 2019
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will invest $251 million to upgrade rural electric systems in 13 states. The investment includes funding to finance smart grid technologies that improve system operations and monitor grid security, as well as funding to help build and improve 1,971 miles of line to improve electric reliability in rural areas.
Continue Reading
Subscribe
