The USDA reports…

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Department is investing $2.7 billion to help 64 electric cooperatives and utilities (PDF, 175 KB) expand and modernize the nation’s rural electric grid and increase grid security.

The implication is that infrastructure could be broadband improvements too – certainly means more infrastructure. There were six awards in Minnesota:

1. McLeod Cooperative Power Association
   $13,001,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 288 consumers, and build and improve 74 miles of line. This loan includes $2,039,629 in smart grid technologies. McLeod is headquartered in Glencoe, Minnesota, and serves 6,975 consumers over 1,921 miles of line in seven counties in central Minnesota.
2. Beltrami Electric Cooperative
   $22,658,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 1,480 consumers and build and improve 225 miles of line. This loan includes $1,317,000 in smart grid technologies. Beltrami Electric is headquartered in Bemidji, Minnesota serving portions of Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, and Koochiching counties. The area is served through over 3,500 miles of distribution line and covers approximately 3,000 square miles with 21,772 consumers.
3. Red Lake Electric Cooperative
   $9,112,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 299 consumers and build and improve 54 miles of line. This loan includes $104,000 in smart grid technologies. Red Lake Electric is headquartered in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota and provides service to 5,704 consumers over 2,642 miles of energized line through six counties in northern Minnesota.
4. PKM Electric Cooperative Inc.
   $13,420,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 342 consumers and build and improve 119 miles of line. This loan includes $1,074,000 in smart grid technologies. PKM Electric is headquartered in Warren, Minnesota and serves 3,955 consumers through 2,298 miles in three central Minnesota counties.
5. Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative
   $35,000,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 1,846 consumers and build and improve 1,631 miles of line. This loan includes $3,628,271 in smart grid technologies. Minnesota Valley Electric is headquartered in Jordan, Minnesota and serves 44,411 consumers across a 968-square-mile service area, encompassing nine counties: Blue Earth, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice, Scott, Sibley, and Waseca.
6. South Central Electric Association
   $13,000,000
   This Rural Development investment will be used to connect 188 consumers, and build and improve 76 miles of line. This loan includes $1,679,250 in smart grid technologies. South Central Electric is headquartered in St. James, Minnesota, and serves 5,928 members through 2,467 miles of line in eight counties in Minnesota.