Agriculture department to provide $200 million in loans for rural electric infrastructure development

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $200 million in loans to cooperatives and utilities in 10 states to help improve and expand rural electric infrastructure.

The loans, provided through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program, will support the construction and improvement of approximately 1200 miles of transmission and distribution line in rural parts of Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wyoming.

“Investing in electric infrastructure is critical to the success of businesses, residents, and farmers in our small towns and rural areas,” Hazlett said. “These loans will help provide reliable electricity to rural areas in more efficient and sustainable ways than ever before.”

The recently announced loans include $12 million for smart grid technologies, which includes metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications, geospatial information systems and other improvements. These smart technologies are designed to increase which reliability and efficiency of electric power by enabling utilities better manage power needs and supply and improve operational efficiencies.