Baldwin Helps Secure $573 Million Clean Energy Investment to Cut Costs, Create Jobs, and Reduce Emissions

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Dairyland Power Cooperative is receiving nearly $573 million to expand its renewable energy portfolio, lowering energy costs for rural Wisconsinites, creating jobs, and reducing harmful emissions. The funding from the Baldwin-backed Inflation Reduction Act will help Dairyland expand wind and solar power generation, with electric rates estimated to be 42% lower over 10 years than they would have been without the investment.

“Our bill is putting Wisconsinites to work building an energy grid that’s built-to-last for the next generation, cutting costs for families and cleaning up the air our children breathe,” said Senator Baldwin. “This investment is not only modernizing our energy grid and lowering rates, it’s investing in the Wisconsin workers who will have more opportunities to stay in the communities they love and work a family-supporting career in a growing sector.”

Today’s announcement includes grant and loan funding of nearly $573 million to Dairyland Power Cooperative to develop projects totaling 1,080 megawatts, including eight power purchase agreements, four solar installations and four wind power installations, across Dairyland’s service territory. Dairyland’s strong partnership with labor, including with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Northern Wisconsin Building and Construction Trades, Wisconsin Building Trades Council, and the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, will continue on with these new projects.

“Dairyland Power Cooperative is honored to receive this New ERA award, which provides Dairyland and our member cooperatives with a tremendous opportunity to continue making vital investments in essential clean energy resources,” said Dairyland Power Cooperative President and CEO Brent Ridge. “Through a carefully cultivated portfolio of renewable energy projects, New ERA will drive substantial carbon reduction across the Dairyland system, facilitate new economic growth and job creation, promote environmental stewardship and lower energy costs for rural and agricultural communities.”

The funding is part of the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program that helps rural Americans transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. Collectively, the 16 selections announced today under the program will leverage private investments of more than $29 billion to build more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy for rural communities across the country. The investments will:

• Support more than 4,500 permanent jobs and 16,000 construction jobs.
• Reduce pollution by 2.9 billion tons over the lifetime of the projects, or more than 43.7 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to removing more than 10 million gasoline-powered cars off the road.
• Lower energy costs for rural Americans and enhance grid resiliency and reliability.

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