WASHINGTON — The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) received a $1 million loan May 10, the first loans the U.S. Department of Agriculture is making through its Rural Energy Savings Program.
NOPEC is the largest governmental retail aggregator in the nation and serves more than 200 communities in 13 counties: Cuyahoga, Lake, Ashtabula, Lorain, Huron, Summit, Medina, Portage, Trumbull, Columbiana, Mahoning, Seneca and Geauga.
NOPEC, a nonprofit regional council of governments, will provide energy improvement loans to small businesses in 206 rural communities in northeast Ohio.
USDA is providing zero-interest loans to two rural energy providers to help business and residential customers lower energy use and costs. They are being provided through the Electric Program of USDA’s Rural Utilities Service.
The Electric Program makes loans and loan guarantees in rural areas to nonprofit and cooperative associations, public bodies and other utilities to help finance the construction of electric distribution and generation facilities.
In addition to the NOPEC loan, USDA is awarding a $13 million loan to South Carolina’s KW Savings Co.
