The U.S. Department of Agriculture will make $202 million in loans to electric cooperatives in nine states to help bolster and modernize their electric grids.
The loans, which include $14.7 million for Smart Grid technology similar to what already exists in Chattanooga, are expected to help create jobs and support new technology.
Tennessee's Tri-County Electric Cooperative will receive $20 million to build or improve 166 miles of line and make other system improvements. The loan includes $1.3 million for Smart Grid improvements, according to a news release from the USDA.
Chattanooga received a $111.6 million federal grant to build its grid, though the entire project cost about $369 million, according to a Harvard study. After its rollout of the new electric grid, which is undergirded by fiber-optic cable, Chattanooga's city-owned utility, EPB, began offering TV and Internet service, including the Western Hemisphere's first citywide gigabit service.
Other states getting loans include:
Kansas
- Twin Valley Electric Cooperative – $8 million to build or improve 44 miles of line. The loan includes $41,800 for Smart Grid projects.
Missouri
- Gascosage Electric Cooperative – $10.2 million to build or improve 50 miles of line and make system upgrades. More than $224,000 will be invested in Smart Grid projects.
North Dakota
- Kem Electric Cooperative – $12 million to build or improve 130 miles of line and make system upgrades. The loan includes $288,000 for Smart Grid projects.
- Roughrider Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $68 million to build or improve 453 miles of line and make system upgrades. About $1.2 million will support Smart Grid projects.
Ohio
- Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative – $25 million to build or improve 191 miles of line and make system upgrades. Approximately $2.6 million will support Smart Grid projects.
Oklahoma
- Red River Valley Rural Electric Association – $4.7 million to build or improve 22 miles of line.
South Carolina
- Aiken Electric Cooperative – $44 million to build or improve 342 miles of line and make other system improvements. Nearly $9 million will be invested in Smart Grid projects.
Texas
- Comanche County Electric Cooperative – $9.6 million to build or improve 105 miles of line and make other system improvements. The loan includes $94,000 to support Smart Grid projects.