ST. PAUL — Nine Northern Minnesota electric cooperatives and municipal utilities were awarded State Grid Resilience grants Monday, Dec. 8.
The state Department of Commerce announced $5.3 million would be split between eight recipients, with individual awards up to $250,000.
The funds from the 2023 legislative session can be used to strengthen distribution systems, increase capacity and reduce power outages.
“This program demonstrates how state-led investments can make a real difference for communities,” said Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold in a news release. “By upgrading local power systems — often by undergrounding lines in areas vulnerable to storms — we’re helping ensure Minnesotans have reliable, resilient electricity for years to come.”
The grantees that serve Northern Minnesota are:
- City of Newfolden, $250,000
- City of Roseau, $250,000, overhead to underground project
- Clearwater-Polk Electric Coop, $239,113.34
- Itasca-Mantrap Electrical Cooperative, $248,400
- Minnesota Rural Electric Association, $249,930, apprentice lineworker training
- North Itasca Electric Co-op, Inc., $100,000, wildfire mitigation project
- Red River Valley Co-op Power, $177,194.24, line relocation and undergrounding
- The Cooperative Light & Power Association of Lake County, $100,000, wildfire mitigation and right of way clearing
- Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative, $248,400
- Virginia Department of Public Utilities, $177,194.24, switchgear replacement
