Grand Valley Power Receives Federal Grant for Clean Energy
GRAND JUNCTION, COLO. - (January 16, 2025) – Grand Valley Power has been selected to receive $13 million in grant funding over 15 years from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program.
This New ERA investment will be used for Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc. to procure more than 26 megawatts of clean, renewable energy from the Garnet Mesa Solar agrivoltaics facility that is under development in Delta, Colorado. This will power nearly 6,600 homes per year.
The project will stabilize costs to rural cooperative members, create new short- and long-term jobs on Colorado’s Western Slope, and reduce climate pollution by more than 60,000 tons each year. The initiative will reduce greenhouse gas pollution equivalent to over 14,000 gasoline-powered cars annually.
The New ERA funding supports investment that puts Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc. on track to meet 100% of its consumers’ energy needs with renewable resources at a lower cost. The cooperative's members will directly benefit from cost savings of more than $700,000 per year for 15 years beginning in 2028. The grant would not have been possible without the support of the USDA Rural Utilities Service and Guzman Energy, the cooperative’s future power supplier beginning in 2028.
“Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc. is honored to be a selectee for New ERA funding,” said Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc. CEO Tom Walch. “The New ERA investment provides our rural members the opportunity to support the unique integration of renewable energy development and western Colorado values. The increased resiliency and production of clean energy will provide benefits for generations.”
The cooperative anticipates holding Empower Hour events around its service territory to meet with members and discuss the project. More information will be available on the Grand Valley Power website at gvp.org.
USDA has awarded funding to cooperatives as part of the New ERA program to benefit rural electric cooperatives and their members. This funding represents almost $9 billion in New ERA-financed grants and loans. These projects will support good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for rural Americans, significantly reduce pollution and enhance the resiliency of the nation’s electric grid. One in five rural Americans stands to benefit from these clean energy investments.
This is the third grant that Grand Valley Power has been awarded in recent months. In November, Grand Valley Power announced it has received a $1,947,204 matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to enhance wildfire protection and resilience by making critical upgrades to its electric system on the Grand Mesa. This project is funded through Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks (WARN). Last month Grand Valley Power was awarded $164,683 by the Colorado Energy Office to underground ¾ mile of overhead line near Vega Lake. The grant will cover 75% of the project costs and help improve wildfire protection and reliability on the Grand Mesa.
About Grand Valley Power
Organized in 1936, Grand Valley Power is the oldest rural not-for-profit electric cooperative in Colorado. Serving 19,000 meters within the Mesa County area, Grand Valley Power is dedicated to empowering lives with hometown service and delivering safe, reliable and affordable electricity. For more information visit gvp.org or follow us on Facebook.