Posted on Mar 19, 2019
Dairyland Power Cooperative has finalized a power purchase agreement with Ranger Power to purchase the entire output of the proposed 149 megawatt Badger State Solar Project which will be located in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. If approved, construction of Badger State Solar is anticipated to begin in 2020 with commercial operation commencing in 2022. “Dairyland is excited to collaborate with Ranger Power on this sustainable solar energy facility,” said Barbara Nick, Dairyland President and CEO. “Resource diversification is foundational to Dairyland’s commitment to a sustainable,...
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Posted on Mar 8, 2019
Ozarks Electric Cooperative and Today’s Power, Inc. are collaborating with the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas on the state’s largest solar power project to operate on municipal land and the only one in the state with onsite utility-scale energy storage.
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Posted on Mar 7, 2019
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress to pass legislation that would give electric cooperatives access to more money to modernize their plants and reduce costs for consumer-members. The proposed Improving Rural Access to Power Act would allow the Federal Home Loan Bank to voluntarily buy securities issued by a qualified cooperative lending association. The bill’s supporters have been trying to pass a similar measure since 2016, but their previous efforts stalled in the House.
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Posted on Mar 7, 2019
Electric cooperatives have a broad financial impact on the United States, directly or indirectly supporting nearly 612,000 jobs each year and contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to the economy over a five-year period, according to a new analysis. “This report quantifies what many rural American families and businesses know well—electric cooperatives are powerful engines of economic development in their local communities,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
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Posted on Mar 7, 2019
Southern Indiana Power is receiving a $10.5 million federal loan to build or improve 92 miles of line to enhance system operations for 600 rural consumers. The loan also includes funds for smart grid technologies.
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Posted on Mar 4, 2019
Basin Electric Power Cooperative CEO, Paul Sukut, told a Senate panel that he supports efforts to help electric cooperatives develop technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fueled power plants and turn them into useful products.
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Posted on Mar 1, 2019
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced investments in seven new projects in Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The loans, totaling $122 million, will help build and improve electric lines and implement smart grid technologies.
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Posted on Feb 28, 2019
Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) for approximately 300 MW of electrical energy output from solar facilities owned by D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments.
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Posted on Feb 19, 2019
South Texas Electrical Cooperative (STEC) has signed a facilities agreement with Annova LNG for 405 MW, representing the total electric transmission needs for a 6.0 MTPA LNG export project. Magic Valley Electric Cooperative, a member of STEC, will be the sole provider of electric energy to power the facility.
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Posted on Feb 13, 2019
A new Mississippi law expands a coop’s authority to pursue broadband through an affiliate that is separate from its electric service. The law will allow a coop to hang broadband fiber on its existing power poles and lease it to the affiliate. Alternatively, the affiliate can partner with an internet provider to pursue the service.
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Posted on Feb 13, 2019
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) and EDP Renewables (EDP) have announced a 104 MW, 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) that will enable the development and construction of the Crossing Trails Wind Farm. The wind farm, which is expected to be operational in 2020, will produce enough electricity annually to power more than 47,000 average rural Colorado homes.
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Posted on Jan 29, 2019
Last week, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) CEO, Jim Matheson, outlined the organization’s new advocacy goals for 2019. Matheson set rural broadband, flexible energy and infrastructure policy, grid resilience, and beneficial regulations as areas of emphasis.
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Posted on Jan 25, 2019
This week Mississippi passed a bill allowing electrical cooperatives in the state to offer customers high-speed internet service. The measure, seeking to better Mississippians’ access to internet service, will allow cooperatives to seek U.S. Department of Agriculture grants for extending internet service.
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Posted on Jan 24, 2019
An S&P Global Ratings report forecasts that, despite significant technological, regulatory and economic uncertainties in 2019, power utilities and electric cooperatives are likely to maintain their financial strength, on the whole.
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