The Department is awarding $207 million in 42 states for projects through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP).
This REAP awards total $157 million for 675 projects in 42 states, including more than $94 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. These investments will cut energy costs for farmers and ag producers that can instead be used to create jobs and new revenue streams for people in their communities. For example:
- In Colorado’s La Plata County, a grant for $187,000 will install a solar array that, through a power purchase agreement, will benefit a wastewater treatment facility. The facility is expected to save $58,000 per year, bringing down costs for residents. It will replace 652,923 kilowatt hours or 98 percent of the plant’s energy use per year, which is enough energy to power 60 homes.
- A soybean farm in Pennsylvania will install a 1,248 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that will save $262,000 per year. These funds can be reinvested to grow the business or create more jobs for the local community. It will also save the farm 2,814,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough energy to power 259 homes.
- Sturgis Meats in Meade, South Dakota will install a refrigeration system that will save $32,000 in energy costs per year. It will also save the company 255,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough energy to power 23 homes.
Projects financed through FPEP will help U.S. farmers increase independent, domestic fertilizer production. This investments include $50 million in seven projects in seven states.
For example:
- ARE Properties LLC in Nebraska will build a fully automated fertilizer facility designed to manufacture custom products based on the results of plant tissue and soil samples. All equipment in the facility runs on natural gas with the long-range strategy to retrofit the facility for alternative energy sources in the future.
- Biogas Corporation will purchase and install a new anaerobic digestion facility in Monroe County, North Carolina. This project is expected to create 19 additional positions. The new state-of-the-art facility will produce 50,000 tons of organic fertilizer and ammonium sulfate annually, all available to farming operations or resellers supporting local producers. Through the unique combustion process, the facility projects to generate 55,000 megawatts of clean energy per year to be purchased and distributed through Duke Energy Carolinas.
This announcement was made by Secretary Vilsack at the 105th annual American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.