USDA opens nuclear power funding opportunity for rural electric cooperatives

[Marlin]

USDA opens nuclear power funding opportunity for rural electric cooperatives

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-18/article-8403/usda-opens-nuclear-power-funding-opportunity-for-rural-electric-cooperatives/

[Core Content]

The United States Department of Agriculture launched a funding initiative allocating $175 million in loans and grants for rural electric cooperatives. The Affordable Rural Cooperative Program aims to expand nuclear power generation and transmission infrastructure in rural areas. Eligible cooperatives can submit letters of interest between October 19 and November 20, with final awards expected by 2027.

A new program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated $175 million for rural electric cooperatives to expand nuclear power and improve electricity transmission in rural communities.

The new Affordable Rural Cooperative Program (ARC) will begin taking letters of interest from eligible applicants for the awards—which will be offered as loans and/or grants—beginning on October 19. The window closes on November 20.

In context: The ARC program was born out of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022—passed under the Biden administration—which included $9.7 billion in financial assistance for rural electric cooperatives to reduce emissions released by rural electric systems, ideally through the "purchase of renewable energy, renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems, and carbon capture and storage systems, to deploy such systems, or to make energy efficiency improvements to electric generation and...

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-18/article-8403/usda-opens-nuclear-power-funding-opportunity-for-rural-electric-cooperatives/