Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program
In 2023, SECO Energy applied for a significant funding opportunity offered through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development office (USDA-RD) called the Empowering Rural America program or “New ERA”. Through the New ERA Program, SECO Energy was selected for $110M in funding through a combination of Rural Utility Service (RUS) low interest loans (75%) and federal grants (25%) for:
- The construction and interconnection of three (3) microgrids, including approximately 6.6 MW of solar, 24 MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and 35 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (Project One-Pagers Coming Soon!)
- The conversion of all streetlights in the SECO Energy service territory from high-pressure sodium (HPS) to LED (Project One-Pager Coming Soon!)
Together, the projects’ purpose and need are to reduce costs, improve system reliability and increase generation diversity within SECO Energy’s service territory. The BESS will provide overall system support for outage response, improve reliability and other dispatching functions. The solar microgrids will allow SECO Energy to offer renewable energy to our members. The EV charging stations will enable EV charging capabilities for Members, the SECO Energy fleet and employees. Finally, the conversion of streetlights from HPS to LED will reduce maintenance, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide lower costs to the Membership.
New ERA Community Benefit Plan
The Portfolio of Actions listed above creates intrinsic cost- and carbon-reducing benefits to the communities SECO Energy serves. SECO Energy’s Community Benefit Plan (CBP), as required by the New ERA Program, will extend these benefits to the many communities SECO Energy interacts with beyond the production and consumption of power and will also provide community benefits beyond the project scope. It will offer community benefits to improve workforce development, provide opportunities for educational assistance, promote energy efficiency and carbon reduction, and find ways to support local farmers and organizations interested in agriculture. A detailed account of all benefits related to SECO Energy’s New ERA project, including the Community Benefits Plan and USDA Community Benefits Plan Roadmap and Process Checklist will be available soon.
Community Engagement
SECO Energy is committed to collaborating with local organizations to implement stronger, more resilient infrastructure to our community. SECO Energy has developed three (3) working groups focused on the following:
- Energy Access and Assistance Committee – Identify qualifying low-income disadvantaged communities to reduce energy burden and assist those most impacted
- Energy Efficiency Education Committee – Create/compile short, educational videos on various energy and energy efficiency-related topics
- Workforce Development and Educational Assistance Committee – Identify workforce gaps and collaborate with local community partners to facilitate energy sector workforce development through apprenticeship programs, job fairs, recruitment drives, and educational assistance opportunities
Feedback and Updates
SECO Energy is committed to engaging with the communities it serves and will continue to seek Member and community feedback throughout the life of the projects. To provide feedback regarding the Community Benefits Plan or to receive updates regarding the progress of the New ERA projects, please email Grants@SECOEnergy.com.
SECO Energy will continue to post updated New ERA information and community involvement opportunities to this page as additional information becomes available.
