Cooperative Infrastructure Projects

Electric co-ops are working together to leverage and implement the transformational funding awards of the the bipartisan infrastructure law for the communities they serve.

Significant Investments for Co-ops

The bipartisan infrastructure law provided significant investment and funding opportunities for electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. Electric co-ops were eligible to apply for dozens of infrastructure funding programs and worked together to maximize the opportunity to leverage these funds for the benefit of local communities. As the national trade association for electric cooperatives, NRECA led the development of infrastructure resources and toolkits for co-ops and convened consortia to help co-ops collaborate and maximize effectiveness as they applied for federal infrastructure grants.

Consortium Approach:
Co-ops Are Stronger Together

Five specific co-op consortia were established in the areas of:

Electric Vehicles | Microgrids | Natural Hazards
Smart Grids and Data | Cyber and Physical Security

NRECA’s approach to consortia is anchored in the recognition that electric co-ops are stronger together. As the consortia members implement their project funding, they are pooling resources, applying real-time learnings and sharing data to enhance their projects. Consortia members continue to work together and will have a unique opportunity to share lessons learned from the application, planning and implementation stages of their projects.

Each consortium has unique goals to continue to maximize the value for co-op participants as they move forward with the planning and implementation of their projects.

Spotlight Feature

DOE infrastructure programs are crucial to building co-op projects that will ensure reliable power for rural America, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson told Energy Secretary Chris Wright at a March 2025 meeting. Matheson gave Wright nearly 90 letters from 75 co-ops selected to receive DOE funding for a range of projects, from wildfire mitigation to new transmission and microgrids.

Co-ops are finding innovative ways to leverage the historic infrastructure funding provided by the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act. See examples of how co-ops are using this funding to benefit their members and communities.

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