Columbia, South Carolina – In a big step toward improving the electric grid in rural South Carolina, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced a huge $38.4 million grant. As part of President Joe Biden’s ambitious Investing in America plan, this grant was given to Laurens’s New Horizon Electric Cooperative to improve and expand access to energy in rural areas of the region.
The funding is part of the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program
Acting State Director for the USDA Rural Development in South Carolina, George W. Hicks, Jr., revealed that the funding comes through the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program. Hicks explained about how important this grant is for to ensure that over 194,000 people in rural areas have access to reliable, low-cost energy.
“New Horizon Electric Cooperative in Laurens was the recipient of $38.4 million in funding through the USDA, Rural Development’s Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program.”, said Acting State Director George W. Hicks, Jr.
“This funding will help the New Horizon Electric Cooperative build and improve electric infrastructure for over 194,000 consumers living in our rural upstate area. These improvements will advance smart-grid technologies and help expand renewable energy systems. Ultimately, this project will provide economic savings for businesses and people living in rural communities.”
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The initiative promises to lower the price of power for families and small businesses, which will help them deal with the financial stress that comes with energy costs. It also wants to strengthen the region’s power grid against the rising risk of power outages caused by extreme weather, which is becoming a bigger worry as the climate crisis gets worse.
This program also aligns with the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative
This project will also help the local economy by making a lot of good-paying work available and encouraging energy independence in South Carolina’s upstate. It fits with the main goals of the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy reach disadvantaged communities historically affected by pollution and underinvestment.
The addition of this funding to South Carolina’s rural power infrastructure is a big step toward improving the quality of life for its people and moving the country closer to its goals of sustainable energy and fair growth.
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The future looks better for South Carolina’s rural areas as New Horizon Electric Cooperative gets ready to make these changes. They will have a more reliable, efficient, and clean energy source.
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