USDA to Loan Money to Electric Cooperatives for Infrastructure

March 3, 2017

Projects are being financed in Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Nikki Chandler

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that it is lending money to electric cooperatives in nine states. The loans "will help continue to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity to rural residents, business and institutions in nine states," according to the USDA.

USDA is making US$202 million in loans to upgrade rural electric service in Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

The loans include $14.7 million to implement smart grid technology, including metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications, geospatial information systems and other improvements.

The loans are as follow:

Kansas

Twin Valley Electric Cooperative – $8 million to build or improve 44 miles of line. The loan includes $41,800 for Smart Grid projects.

Missouri

Gascosage Electric Cooperative – $10.2 million to build or improve 50 miles of line and make system upgrades. More than $224,000 will be invested in Smart Grid projects.

North Dakota

Kem Electric Cooperative – $12 million to build or improve 130 miles of line and make system upgrades. The loan includes $288,000 for Smart Grid projects.
Roughrider Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $68 million to build or improve 453 miles of line and make system upgrades. About $1.2 million will support Smart Grid projects.

Ohio

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative – $25 million to build or improve 191 miles of line and make system upgrades. Approximately $2.6 million will support Smart Grid projects.

Oklahoma

Red River Valley Rural Electric Association – $4.7 million to build or improve 22 miles of line.

South Carolina

Aiken Electric Cooperative – $44 million to build or improve 342 miles of line and make other system improvements. Nearly $9 million will be invested in Smart Grid projects.

Tennessee/Kentucky

Tri-County Electric Cooperative – $20 million to build or improve 166 miles of line and make other system improvements. The loan includes $1.3 million for Smart Grid improvements.

Texas

Comanche County Electric Cooperative – $9.6 million to build or improve 105 miles of line and make other system improvements. The loan includes $94,000 to support Smart Grid projects.

The loans are being provided through the Electric Program of USDA's Rural Utilities Service, the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration. The Electric Program makes loans and loan guarantees to non-profit and cooperative associations, public bodies and other utilities to help finance the construction of electric distribution and generation facilities in rural areas.

About the Author

Nikki Chandler | Group Editorial Director, Energy

Nikki has 28 years of experience as an award-winning business-to-business editor, with 23 years of it covering the electric utility industry. She started out as an editorial intern with T&D World while finishing her degree, then joined Mobile Radio Technology and RF Design magazines. She returned to T&D World as an online editor in 2002 and now leads the content for EnergyTech, Microgrid Knowledge and T&D World media brands and supports Endeavor’s energy events, Microgrid Knowledge and T&D World Live. She has contributed to several publications over the past 25 years, including Waste Age, Wireless Review, Power Electronics Technology, and Arkansas Times. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas.