(April 30, 2024)
GUNNISON, CO — Today, GCEA was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to begin award negotiations for up to $5 million inBipartisan Infrastructure Law funding as part of the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program. GCEA was selected as one of 19 community-led clean energy projects across 12 states and 13 tribal nations and communities to receive more than $78 million to develop and deploy sustainable clean energy solutions and expand access to reliable and affordable energy in rural and remote communities across the country.
With this funding, GCEA plans to replace 30 miles of aged, overhead electric distribution lines between Gunnison County Electric Association’s (GCEA’s) “Skito” substation and Powderhorn which will mitigate the rising costs of maintaining outdated and unreliable infrastructure and increase grid reliability for rural Gunnison County residents who experience frequent power outages and constitutes the first phase of a larger project to improve resiliency for Hinsdale County residents. During the last two years, the service area experienced 76 outages due to extreme weather conditions and the threat of wildfires, including a 28-hour outage during sub-zero overnight temperatures. Upgrading electric distribution infrastructure will enhance local grid resilience, reduce operational and maintenance costs, prevent fires due to overloading, and facilitate the integration of more renewable energy. These benefits will also promote greater prosperity for the local community by supporting the growth of businesses, farms, ranching, and housing while mitigating climate threats that prevent residents from living and working full-time in the region.
Government funding will help support the proposed 30-mile upgrade project by paying for approximately 72% of the total project costs. This will allow GCEA to minimize the impact on member rates for this project while significantly improving grid reliability. The estimated system lifetime for these upgrades will last 50 years or more.
Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA), the selectee, plans to continue to engage and collaborate with community stakeholders—including government officials, health care and emergency services providers, and local farmers and ranchers—to build strong support for this project and mitigate potential risks to local communities and ecosystems. The project will host in-person informational events and leverage its existing newsletter, website, and social media channels to share project updates and create pathways for two-way engagement.