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CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wisc., Sept. 25, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is moving forward in the awards process with eight new clean energy projects through the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program. Secretary Vilsack announced that the projects, if approved, will receive more than $248 million to help lower electricity bills for households, expand reliable access to renewable energy and create jobs for rural families, small businesses and agricultural producers.
Also today, USDA Rural Utilities Service Administrator Andrew Berke joined White House Domestic Policy Advisor to the President, Neera Tanden, to highlight the projects at the Wisconsin Farmers Union’s Investing in Rural Wisconsin event.
The funding for USDA’s PACE program is from the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936 as part of the New Deal. The Inflation Reduction Act partners with rural communities to deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy.
“Rural electric cooperatives and utilities are the backbone of America’s power delivery and when we invest in them, we strengthen the nation’s energy security,” Secretary Vilsack said. “Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is proud to partner with these organizations to create a more affordable and sustainable future benefiting rural families, businesses and the health of our planet for generations to come.”
The projects are listed below.
- In Wisconsin, Dairyland Power Cooperative plans to use a $15.6 million investment to finance the installation of 2 megawatts of solar photovoltaic generation at two sites, which will be connected to a 4 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system in western Wisconsin. This is enough electricity to power up to 1,000 homes.
- Also in Wisconsin, Stag Moose Solar LLC plans to use a $75.9 million investment to finance 22 ground-mounted solar arrays that will produce 62.75 megawatts of renewable energy in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, which is enough electricity to power approximately 16,000 homes. This project will support Wisconsin communities participating in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Rural Partners Network (RPN).
- In Colorado, Sandhills Energy's subsidiary SE Municipal Colorado, LLC plans to use a $12.1 million investment to finance four solar power facilities that will produce 7.8 megawatts of renewable energy across several communities in rural Colorado. This is enough electricity to power more than 1,700 homes.
- In Iowa, Sandhills Energy's subsidiary SE Municipal Iowa LLC plans to use a $6.9 million investment to build three ground-mounted, single axis tracking solar photovoltaic facilities and power purchase agreements that will produce 7.5 megawatts of renewable energy across three cities. This is enough electricity to power more than 1,200 homes.
- In Kansas, KPP Energy plans to use a $35 million investment to build nine facilities that will produce 18.5 megawatts of renewable energy across rural parts of the state. This is enough locally generated electricity to power 3,700 homes.
- In Nevada, Harney Electric Cooperative plans to use a $13.3 million investment to finance a 5-megawatt solar power facility, which is enough electricity to power approximately 530 homes annually in Nevada and Oregon. This project will support RPN communities in Nevada.
- In Tennessee, Bluestem Energy Solutions LLC, doing business as Lawrenceburg Solar, plans to use an $8.2 million investment to build a solar power facility that will produce 6.1 megawatts of renewable energy in rural portions of southern Tennessee. This will provide enough locally generated electricity to power 1,200 homes.
- In Texas, Bluestem Energy Solutions LLC, doing business as ETEC Solar and Battery, plans to use a $81.5 million investment to finance renewable energy solar facilities and battery energy storage system facilities in nine rural counties in East Texas: Wood, Cherokee, Anderson, San Augustine, Nacogdoches, Rusk, Houston, Smith and Shelby Counties. The projects will generate enough energy to power 6,000 homes.
By using renewable energy from natural sources, these investments would make it more affordable for people to heat their homes, run their businesses, power cars, schools, hospitals and more.
In May 2023, USDA made $1 billion available through PACE to fund new clean energy projects and energy storage in rural America. This program provides low interest loans with up to 60% loan forgiveness to renewable energy developers, rural electric cooperatives and other rural energy providers for renewable energy storage and projects that use wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass.
It is part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy and other investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
To date, USDA has selected 27 projects totaling more than $916 million to move forward in the PACE application process.
USDA expects to continue making PACE awards in the coming months.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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