United Power is proud to announce that it received its first disbursement of the $262 million New ERA grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service on April 13. These funds, which will be paid out to the cooperative over the next 10 to 15 years, were specifically granted to help mitigate the rising cost of power to stabilize rates for co-op members. 

Seven power projects were included in the cooperative’s New ERA grant application. Four of them are already operating for the benefit of United Power communities, and the next three will come online by the end of 2029. The cooperative is the first New ERA awardee in the country to receive approval of its Community Benefit Plan and USDA-approval of the implementation of that plan, which was required prior to receiving funds. And now, United Power is the first awardee out of 15 to actually receive New ERA grant dollars. 

The United Power Board of Directors and executive leadership would like to extend a special thank you to the cooperative’s Congressional delegation, including Representatives Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert as well as Senator John Hickenlooper and Senator Michael Bennet, for their support. It has been a long road, but United Power’s dedicated team and the USDA staff made it happen.