PRECorp receives funding for solar facility near Moorcroft

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Wyoming Acting State Director Janice Blare has announced a $23.5 million award to Powder River Energy Corporation (PRECorp) to support the installation of a renewable energy and storage system through the USDA Powering Affordable Clean En-ergy (PACE) program.

The PACE program is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest investment in rural electrification since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act into law in 1936.

PRECorp will use the $23.5 million PACE award to develop a solar facility and battery energy storage sys-tem totaling nearly 1.2 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy and 5 MW of energy storage in rural Wy-oming.

The project is slated for PRECorp property near the Moorcroft substation. The timing of the project re-quires approximately two years of financing, design, contracting and construction and is projected to be operational by spring 2027.

Over 2100 single-axis tilt solar array panels will be installed; the panels will rotate and follow the sun’s path to absorb sunlight. The energy storage system will allow for the storage and release of electrical energy to reduce wholesale power supply costs for PRECorp members in Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties, as well as improve reliability for its members near the project site.

The project will generate enough energy annually to serve an estimated 1800 households. PRECorp’s PACE application was selected for 20% loan forgiveness.

“In just two years, the New ERA and PACE programs have created dozens of new partnerships with rural electric cooperatives and communities that will reduce pollution, create jobs and make clean energy more affordable for millions of rural Americans,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

“These investments we’re making today will continue to support the health, prosperity and well-being of rural Americans for generations to come.”

USDA has now obligated more than $1.6 billion in partially forgivable loans of PACE program funds for clean energy projects serving rural Americans nationwide. Additional details on all funding recipients and finalists are available on the PACE website.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, support jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas.

This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community fa-cilities such as schools, public safety and healthcare; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas.