Investment to Benefit More Than 77,000 Residents and Commercial Customers
COLUMBIA, MO, Oct. 13, 2020 – The Trump Administration, along with Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Directors for Missouri Jeff Case, for Iowa Grant Menke, and for Nebraska Karl Elmshaeuser, today announced the USDA is investing $41,967,000 to build and improve critical electric infrastructure. The funding, made possible through the Electric Loan Program, will benefit more than 77,000 rural residents and commercial customers in Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska.
“Modern and reliable electric infrastructure has been a cornerstone to rural prosperity since the Rural Electrification Act of 1936,” said Trump Administration Official USDA Rural Development Missouri State Director Jeff Case. “And for more than 80 years, USDA has partnered with electric cooperatives, like N.W. Electric Power and Atchison-Holt Electric, to ensure their systems have the modern infrastructure necessary to provide affordable, reliable electricity to their members. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA has been working tirelessly to be a strong partner to rural Missouri in building stronger and healthier communities, because we know when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”
N.W. Electric Power Cooperative, headquartered in Cameron, Mo., will use a $35,381,000 loan to improve 27 miles of electric line. The cooperative is responsible for maintaining 130 substations and approximately 18,000 miles of transmission line and delivers wholesale power to seven distribution cooperatives (Atchison-Holt Electric Cooperative, Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, Grundy Electric Cooperative, North Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, United Electric Cooperative, and West Central Electric Cooperative). This funding will be used to better its overall electric transmission system, which will in turn positively benefit more than 74,000 end retail users in northwest Missouri, southwest Iowa, and southeast Nebraska.
Atchison-Holt Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Rock Port, Mo., will use a $6,586,000 loan to connect 216 consumers and build and improve 36 miles of electric line. This loan includes $36,420 in smart grid technologies that uses digital communications technology to detect and react to local changes in electricity usage. The cooperative serves an average of 3,255 members over 1,290 miles in Atchison, Holt and Nodaway counties in Missouri; in Fremont and Page counties in Iowa; and in Nemaha County in Nebraska.
“Infrastructure innovation and improvement is essential to the future of rural Iowa communities, and this significant USDA Electric Loan Program investment will make a lasting positive impact in southwest Iowa,” said Trump Administration Official USDA Rural Development Iowa State Director Grant Menke. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Perdue, USDA is proud to partner with rural electric cooperatives and other stakeholders to provide reliable, efficient, affordable electricity – a key component of enhancing economic opportunities and improving quality of life for all rural Iowans.”
“Rural electric cooperatives are critical to the advancement of rural electric infrastructure. They ensure affordable and reliable electricity to rural Nebraska communities that depend on it to build sustainability,” said Trump Administration Official USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Karl Elmshaeuser. “The electric projects announced today will bring greater strength to southeast Nebraska, helping them to prosper.”
Background
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs 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 areas.
For more information in Missouri, visit www.rd.usda.gov/mo, call (573) 876-0976, or email RDMissouri@usda.gov. In Iowa, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia or call (515) 284-4663. In Nebraska, visit www.rd.usda.gov/ne or call (402) 437-5551.