Posted on Sep 25, 2018
Shelby Electric Cooperative (Shelby Electric) assisted IHI Turbo America, a designer and manufacturer of diesel, gasoline and natural gas turbocharger products, in receiving a $2 million loan from the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program. The interest-free loan will help the manufacturer fund a 250,000-square-foot facility expansion.
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Posted on Sep 24, 2018
Although coal remains a significant fuel source in the state of Arkansas, the state’s energy producers are currently focused on lower-emission natural gas-fueled generation and renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects natural gas generation to rise to 34% nationally by 2019, up from 32% in 2017. Coal’s share, 30% in 2017, is expected to be 27% in 2019.
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Posted on Sep 20, 2018
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $398.5 million dollars through the Electric Infrastructure Loan Program to improve rural electric service in 13 states.
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Posted on Sep 20, 2018
Holy Cross Energy (HCE), a Colorado electric cooperative, announced its adoption of a plan called SEVENTY70THIRTY. By 2030, HCE will use clean and renewable resources for 70% of the power supplied by HCE to its customers, reduce greenhouse emissions by 70% compared to its 2014 levels and achieve both of these goals with no additional increase in the cost of power supply.
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Posted on Sep 20, 2018
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative has qualified for a $21 million dollar loan from the Electric Infrastructure Loan Program, and it intends to use the funds to add 82 miles of transmission lines in addition to other improvements.
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Posted on Sep 18, 2018
Southwest Power Pool received commitments to begin offering its reliability coordinator services to more than a dozen western utilities, including Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and Intermountain Rural Electric Association, among others.
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Posted on Sep 12, 2018
NRECA has released its Study on the Value of Broadband for Consumer-Members, noting that the key takeaways from the study include that there are a significant number of coop members that lack broadband, and that a broadband backbone can help ease coop entry.
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Posted on Sep 11, 2018
According to new research by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (“NRECA”), the lack of broadband access for 6.3 million electric cooperative households results in more than $68 billion in lost economic value. The study, which analyzed the value that households place on broadband access, found that some America households with broadband access receive, on average, a benefit of $1,950 annually.
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Posted on Sep 10, 2018
Nucor Corp. recently announced its plans to move forward with a $650 million, 70-job expansion at its still mill near Ghent, Kentucky. East Kentucky Power Cooperative worked closely with Nucor officials to support the phase II expansion of the steel mill. This second phase of the project will increase the mill’s annual capacity from 1.6 million tons of coiled sheet steel to approximately 3 million tons. The project is ultimately expected to provide affordable, reliable energy and create additional jobs for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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Posted on Sep 7, 2018
Five years ago, many cooperatives viewed solar energy as an accessory rather than a real power supply option. However, in the last half-decade, as the costs to install solar have gone down and cooperatives have gained experience with this energy resource, solar power has become a mainstay energy resource.
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Posted on Sep 6, 2018
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association joins two other U.S. trade associations in the electric industry in a letter response to U.S. Senator Edward Markey’s inquiry regarding security responses to cybersecurity threats to the nation’s electric grid.
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Posted on Sep 4, 2018
A Purdue University study, which examined the costs, benefits and investments of broadband deployment in seven cooperative territories, has found that broadband internet access in those rural areas could mean $12 billion in economic benefits for Indiana. According to Tom VanParis, CEO of Indiana Electric Cooperatives, the areas of Indiana that lack affordable and reliable high-speed internet are largely the same as those served by electric cooperatives.
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Posted on Sep 4, 2018
Vermont Electric Cooperative, Inc. (VEC) is getting a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help repair 54 transformers and nearly 2,900 miles of transmission and line poles damaged by a severe storm and flooding in October of 2017. The money comes from FEMA’s Public Assistance program that reimburses communities and certain non-profit groups to help recover from disasters.
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Posted on Aug 29, 2018
Thirty-three electric coops were announced today as winners of the Federal Communications Commission Connect American Fund II (CAF II) reverse auction. The thirty-three coops will collectively receive $220 million over ten years to help with the costs of deploying broadband in unserved areas.
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