A $420,154 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Monhegan Plantation Power District will lead to more affordable electricity rates for island residents.
Monhegan Island residents currently pay about 70 cents per kilowatt-hour, more than almost any other community in the nation. The rate consistently ranks in the top 20 in the country, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said in a press release.
The quasi-municipal district will use the funds to replace its switchgear, purchase a 40-kilowatt generator and install a 13-kilowatt solar array on the power station’s roof, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture press release.
The district expects the work to take place in fall 2013, according to its website.
“This grant is a game-changer for our year-round island community, which has faced extremely high energy costs since the cost of diesel skyrocketed in 2008,” Chris Smith, operations manager for the power district, said in a press release from the nonprofit Island Institute, which worked with the district to obtain the grant.
“We are grateful for the support of the USDA, Congresswoman Pingree and the Island Institute in helping us take this giant step towards a more affordable, efficient and sustainable power system,” Smith said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service administers the High Energy Cost Grant Program, which assists communities where the average cost for home energy exceeds 275 percent of the national average.
The eight grants announced Dec. 19 total more than $9.3 million.
