Power Cooperative Serving Rural Nevadans Selected as Finalist for Transformative Clean Energy Investment

NEVADA – Today President Biden and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) has been selected as a finalist to receive funding through USDA’s $9.7 billion Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. AEPCO services customers throughout the Southwest, including rural Southern Nevadans in Pahrump and Mesquite. 

Today’s announcement identified 16 large rural electric utilities that are in line to collectively receive $7.3 billion in grants and loans for investments in renewable energy, storage, transmission, and emissions reductions. This $9.7 billion New ERA program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, represents the largest investment in rural electric investments since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936.

AEPCO’s plan (described here) includes 730 megawatts of solar, 2,910-megawatt hours of battery energy storage, and 70 megawatts of wind throughout rural Nevada and the Southwest. These investments will harness the rich solar potential of the area and store excess solar energy for deployment during peak demand. AEPCO’s sizable expected investments in energy storage will help stabilize the energy grid, strengthen Nevada’s energy independence, and reduce AEPCO’s reliance on fossil fuels. AEPCO estimates that the investments will reduce emissions by more than 1 million tons in carbon dioxide emissions annually, or more than 70%.

The repercussions of climate change in Nevada are difficult to ignore. Just last year, southern Nevada reported 307 heat related deaths. Larger and more intense wildfires and ongoing drought are also fueled by climate change and disproportionately affect many rural communities. But despite these harmful impacts, many utilities have continued burning deadly fossil fuels. Funding made available by the New ERA program empowers electric cooperatives across rural America to facilitate a clean energy transition, improving affordability and resilience, and lowering costs for their members while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to our warming planet.

Nevadans want to see clean energy prioritized, consistently polling in support of clean air protections and climate action, with most categorizing both issues to be urgent. 82% of Nevada voters believe that climate change is a serious problem. 

According to AEPCO, this funding will also “establish agrivoltaic educational programs so farmers can also benefit from clean energy projects.” Last week, Nevada’s Interim Growth and Infrastructure Committee voted on and passed a legislative proposal from the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter that will support agrivoltaic development in Nevada. 

"We are thankful that the Biden-Harris administration announced this historic financing for rural energy co-ops," said Ann Bley, Sierra Club member and Mesquite resident. "Rural Nevadans deserve to benefit from clean energy investments. As we grapple with record extreme heat and drought conditions due to climate change, we recognize the need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels!"

“Nevadans overwhelmingly support climate action that benefits communities,” said Olivia Tanager, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club’s Toiyabe Chapter. “We are thrilled to see the Biden-Harris Administration support a transition to clean energy with this critical investment that levels the playing field for member co-ops looking to move away from fossil fuels. Funding from New ERA will help facilitate a renewable energy transition that lowers costs and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.”

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