GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the award of $537 million to three electric cooperatives in Colorado through the USDA's Empowering Rural America or New ERA program.
Among those receiving the award are Western Slope companies Grand Valley Rural Power Lines in Grand Junction in the amount of $13 million and San Miguel Power Association in Nucla in the amount of $9.8 million.
WesternSlopeNow talked with representatives of each power company to learn how those funds will be used.
"The purpose of the grant is to allow us to buy renewable energy from a solar generating facility over in Delta County, the Garnet mesa solar facility," said CEO of Grand Valley Power Tom Walch. "We will be getting 65,000 megawatt hours from the Garnet Mesa facility beginning in June of 2028."
Communications Executive for San Miguel Power Association (SMPA) Alex Shelley talked about how SMPA will use the funds.
"The New ERA grant funding would likely go toward a renewable project that would be able to help lower our wholesale costs which affects and benefits every member of SMPA and would also have environmental benefits in addition."
Nationwide the USDA has awarded nearly $9 billion in New ERA grants and loans to 15 cooperatives. The funds will benefit one in five Americans. Additional announcements are expected soon.
Click here for a full list of awarded recipients.