Grand Valley Power will receive $13 million in grant funding over 15 years from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program.

The funding will be used for Grand Valley Rural Power Lines Inc. to procure more than 26 megawatts of clean, renewable energy from the Garnet Mesa Solar agrivoltaics facility that is under development in Delta. This will power nearly 6,600 homes per year.

The project will stabilize costs to rural cooperative members, create new short- and long-term jobs on Colorado’s Western Slope, and reduce climate pollution by more than 60,000 tons each year. The initiative will reduce greenhouse gas pollution equivalent to over 14,000 gasoline-powered cars annually.

The New ERA funding supports investment that puts Grand Valley Rural Power Lines, Inc. on track to meet 100 percent of its consumers’ energy needs with renewable resources at a lower cost. The cooperative’s members will directly benefit from cost savings of more than $700,000 per year for 15 years, beginning in 2028. The grant would not have been possible without the support of the USDA Rural Utilities Service and Guzman Energy, the cooperative’s future power supplier beginning in 2028.

“The New ERA investment provides our rural members the opportunity to support the unique integration of renewable-energy development and Western Colorado values,” said Tom Walch, CEO of Grand Valley Rural Power Lines Inc. “The increased resiliency and production of clean energy will provide benefits for generations.”

The cooperative anticipates holding Empower Hour events around its service territory to meet with members and discuss the project. More information will be available on the Grand Valley Power website at gvp.org.