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The Elephant is Busting Out of the Room!

With less than a week until the election, where candidates differ on energy policy, we would be remiss if we did not at least acknowledge the elephant in the room. We expect the election to inevitably impact Federally funded infrastructure programs, but one thing is clear: we'll remain as committed and busy as ever to supporting stakeholders in our shared efforts to improve quality of life through the benefits of electrification. In the meantime, October was a busy month, and we're excited to share some updates.

October Updates:

• Quick Funding Updates
• Electric School Buses
• Direct Pay Eligibility & Deadline
• Celebrating Successes
• RESIST Disruptions - DOE GRIP
• KPP Energy - USDA PACE
• The State of Play for Clean Ammonia
• Event Recaps
• Electrify Minnesota and New England
• Treasury Meeting
• Thank You BEL Sponsors!

Quick Electric Infrastructure Funding Updates



New Round of Electric School Bus Funds

EPA has opened an additional $965M rebate opportunity for the Clean School Bus Program. Previous rounds of this program have been well-received by school districts in rural areas, and BEL has provided assistance to cooperatives and munis who are helping schools with this program over the last two years. Applicants can request up to $325,000 per bus (if they are a priority school district), for up to 50 buses per application, an increase in the total buses per project in response to stakeholder feedback to help achieve faster fleet turnover. EPA is accepting applications until January 9th.

An important part of this program is determining whether a school district is eligible for priority funding: 2024 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebate Program: Prioritized School District List.

More information can be found at BEL's Electric School Bus Landing Page.

Direct Pay - Nov. 15 Deadline

This is a head's up on the November 15 filing deadline for direct pay! Earlier this month, Treasury released new guidelines which grant direct pay-eligible entities an automatic six-month filing extension. Applicable entities now have until November 15th to file returns for projects placed in service during 2023. The IRS still recommends that, when possible, non-governmental applicable entities file a Form 8868 to request a six-month extension. They are also temporarily waiving the e-filing requirement, allowing paper returns to be filed on November 15. For more details, visit BEL's Direct Pay landing page or this resource from L4GG: Elective Pay & IRA Tax Incentives.

Celebrating Successes!

BEL Supported "RESIST Disruptions" Project Secures $28M in GRIP Funding

The DOE's $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program selected the RESIST Grid Disruptions Project in their latest round of awardees. Led by the Delaware County Electric Cooperative (DCEC), this innovative project will bring together six small rural electric co-ops across NY, NJ and PA to fortify 6,500 miles of distribution lines to withstand climate-induced weather disruptions and damage caused by invasive species. With an investment of $37 million, the RESIST project will employ advanced technologies such as real-time monitoring systems, drone-based inspections, and smart grid management solutions. These technologies, combined with predictive analytics, will enable a proactive approach to addressing severe weather and ecological challenges allowing all utilities in the region to benefit.

BEL was proud to support this vital electric infrastructure project from concept to application. More details can be found here.

USDA Moves Forward with KPP Energy for PACE

USDA Rural Development Kansas Director Christy Davis recently announced that KPP Energy is set to receive a proposed $35 million investment aimed at lowering electricity bills for residents, enhancing access to renewable energy, and creating jobs for rural families and small businesses. Part of the Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program, the project includes the construction of seven solar facilities generating 18.5 megawatts of energy, sufficient to power approximately 3,700 homes in central Kansas communities.

BEL worked with the eligible municipalities and their representative joint action/energy agencies to develop the funding proposal. To date, 27 projects have been selected for further development under the PACE program, totaling over $916 million in funding.

Electrified Ammonia & Fertilizer: State of Play

As industry advances technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions, there is growing interest in producing low-carbon ammonia using low carbon electricity. About 70% of ammonia globally goes to agricultural fertilizers, with almost all current production relying on natural gas or other fossil fuels, driving significant CO₂ and greenhouse gas emissions. Clean ammonia, produced using water and renewable electricity via electrolysis, offers potential uses beyond decarbonizing fertilizers, including energy storage, transport fuels, and hydrogen carriers

What will it take to finance, site, and build the large-scale deployments of electrolytic ammonia production? Through conversations with researchers, developers, and utilities, BEL has identified four key factors determining the readiness and viability of green ammonia.

1. Technology must be deployment-ready and available.
2. Clean ammonia end-product must be cost-competitive.
3. Carbon dioxide emission reductions must be achieved.
4. Viable demonstration projects must be in successful operation.

Learn more in our new high-level overview.

While our analysis shows that some of the key benchmarks that would need to be met for widescale deployment have not been achieved yet, this could change quickly, especially as final rules for hydrogen tax credits are issued.

October Event Recap

Thanks to all who attended our Minnesota Electrification Leadership Summit, co-hosted with Great River Energy, MREA, and NRTC. We had a great lineup of leaders who discussed electrification challenges, electric transportation, economic development, and emerging opportunities.

Thank you to all who attended our New England Electrification Leadership Summit, co-hosted with the Northeast Public Power Association.

Email us at info@be-league.org if you would like to talk about an Electrification Leadership Summit in your state.

BEL Attends US Treasury Direct Pay Session

Earlier this month our COO Alex Hofmann represented BEL at the Treasury's Working Session on Direct Pay Technical Assistance for State and Local Governments. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo delivered insightful remarks to the gathered group of providers serving communities, cities, counties, mayors, state governments, and other non-profits across the country.

BEL is very excited to be working with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to provide technical assistance for not-for-profit electric co-ops and municipal utilities to leverage Direct Pay for their infrastructure projects under our new ARISE Appalachian Region Community-Owned Grid Resilient Infrastructure Project.

For information on sponsorship of BEL, please click below.

BEL is a 501(c)3 organization with Platinum status as a charitable organization on Guidestar.