USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah today joined U.S. Senator John Hoeven to announce that Central Power Electric Cooperative will receive a $46 million loan from USDA to make critical infrastructure improvements.
“As North Dakota’s population has grown, so has the number of people using electricity,” said Mensah. “This financing will help Central Power expand the capacity of their electrical grid to keep up with increasing consumer demand for power."
Mensah is in North Dakota this week to visit USDA Rural Development projects that are helping address infrastructure needs in the state’s western communities.
Serving more than 56,000 consumers across 25 counties, Central Power will use the financing to build-out 51 miles of transmission line and make system improvements to deliver reliable and affordable electricity. The loan also includes $171,000 for smart grid technology.
“Access to a dependable supply of electricity is essential to our everyday lives and the economic well-being of our rural communities,” said Ryan Taylor, USDA Rural Development state director. “With this investment, Central Power will increase their output while modernizing operations to better serve customers.”
Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service electric loans program more than $1.8 billion has been invested in North Dakota electric infrastructure projects since 2009. Further information on these and other rural programs is available by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/nd.