ARLINGTON, Va. – NRECA and a consortium of 39 co-ops from across the country were today selected to negotiate contracts for nearly $100 million in federal infrastructure funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Resilience Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program.
“Electric cooperatives are focused on leveraging innovative solutions to meet tomorrow’s energy needs,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “This infrastructure funding is an important step as electric co-ops work to harden systems against wildfires and enhance the reliability of the grid. These projects hold tremendous potential for local communities as their co-ops unlock new ways to use technology to help mitigate wildfires and keep the lights on.”
NRECA’s consortium bid enables smaller co-ops to work together and submit a competitive application for infrastructure funds. The consortium projects will accelerate completion of high-priority wildfire mitigation projects at 39 electric co-ops across the country.
Specific co-op projects in the consortium application cover a range of projects focused on local wildfire mitigation.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote farming communities, electric co-ops serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. As local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful ties to rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
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