The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded nearly US$2.5bn for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to retire 1.1 GW of existing coal plants and acquire about 1.3 GW of new renewable energy resources across the US states of Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. The award plans to finance 1,280 MW of solar, wind and wind/storage hybrid projects, as well as 100 MW of energy storage projects and the retirement of 1.1 GW coal-fired energy generation. The new projects are expected to help Tri-State’s members reach 70% clean energy used in 2030 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 5.8 Mt/year. 

In addition, the USDA has also selected six electric cooperatives to move forward in the New ERA process (namely Connexus Energy, Central Electric Power Cooperative, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, Nebraska Electric Generation, Rayburn Country Electric Cooperative, and Yampa Valley Electric Association). The USDA plans to invest nearly US$1bn in grants and loans to leverage investments of US$6.4bn for 1.75 GW of clean energy for rural communities across the country.

At the end of 2023, the US had a total installed capacity of 1,310 GW, of which coal represented 15% and renewables accounted for 31%.