WASHINGTON D.C. - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $371 million to build and improve critical electric infrastructure that will benefit more than 222,000 rural residents and commercial customers in 11 states.

USDA is investing in 10 projects through the Electric Loan Program, which will help build and improve 3,741 miles of line to improve electric reliability and resilience in rural areas in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The loans include $80 million for investments in smart grid technology, which uses digital communications to detect and react to local changes in electricity usage.

Source: USDA