MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-Minn.), announced historic funding for clean, reliable and low-cost energy across rural Minnesota. Three rural electric cooperatives with operations in the state will receive funding to deploy clean energy or make energy efficiency improvements. More cooperatives are expected to receive funding in the coming months.
Minnesota’s electric cooperatives provide electricity to nearly one-third of the state. Senator Smith was instrumental in securing this funding for rural electric co-ops through her work on the clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.
The three cooperatives selected that operate in Minnesota are:
- Dairyland Power Cooperative (Southeast Minnesota)
- This $573 million investment will support eight wind and solar power installations across rural Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.
- Dairyland’s electric rates are estimated to be 42 percent lower over 10 years than they would have been without this funding
- Great River Energy (Southern, Central, and Northeast Minnesota)
- Great River Energy will produce 1,275 megawatts of energy across rural portions of Minnesota and North Dakota.
- These investments are estimated to create over 1,600 short and long-term jobs, reduce costs by $30 million on average annually, and reduce carbon emissions by over 5.49 million tons each year.
- Minnkota Power Cooperative (Northwest Minnesota)
- This investment will support Minnkota Power Cooperative’s carbon capture and storage project (Project Tundra) in addition to 370 megawatts of wind energy in North Dakota.
- These projects will create hundreds of short- and long-term jobs, while providing environmental benefits to rural consumers in Minnesota and North Dakota. This proposal will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 4.3 million tons, the equivalent pollution of 1 million cars each year.
“The clean energy transition is here, and we can either lead or follow. I want Minnesota to lead, and with this announcement, we will,” said Senator Smith. “With this investment, cooperatives can unleash clean energy in a way that works best for their communities. This will fight climate change. This will lower energy costs. And this will strengthen our energy security and resilience by ensuring our rural communities continue to have safe, reliable and clean, American-made energy for years to come.”
“Domestically produced renewable power strengthens our energy independence and boosts rural economies,” said Senator Klobuchar. “These Empowering Rural America Program grants will lower rural energy costs, create good paying jobs, and support renewable energy projects in Minnesota and across the country.”
“Dairyland Power Cooperative is honored to receive this New ERA award, which provides Dairyland and our member cooperatives with a tremendous opportunity to continue making vital investments in essential clean energy resources,” said Dairyland Power Cooperative President and CEO Brent Ridge. “Through a carefully cultivated portfolio of renewable energy projects, New ERA will drive substantial carbon reduction across the Dairyland system, facilitate new economic growth and job creation, promote environmental stewardship and lower energy costs for rural and agricultural communities.”
“Our consortium laid out an innovative portfolio of projects and power purchase agreements that will benefit cooperative members across Minnesota,” said Great River Energy President and Chief Executive Officer David Saggau. “The projects in our New ERA proposal will allow us to procure more than 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy while creating over 1,500 new jobs, saving our members $30 million on average annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by over 5 million tons and creating a host of benefits across the communities we serve.”
“As we enter one of the most transformational periods in our industry’s history, the New ERA program represents a positive opportunity for our membership and many others across rural America,” said Minnkota President and CEO Mac McLennan. “We are grateful to continue forward as we pursue development of Project Tundra – a bold carbon capture initiative in North Dakota – as well as the advancement of 370 megawatts of new wind energy resources in the state. New ERA helps not-for-profit cooperatives like Minnkota more cost-effectively decarbonize power supply portfolios, while retaining a reliable and resilient electric grid for the members we serve.”
The program, dubbed the Empowering Rural America (or New ERA) program, was partially inspired by Senator Smith’sFlexible Financing for Rural America Act. Both Senators have pushed to deliver rural clean energy investments for Minnesota through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). To date, over 168 grants for farms and small businesses to install clean energy and energy efficiency technology through REAP.
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