New Hampshire’s congressional delegation announced Wednesday that the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative will receive more than $5.9 million in federal funding for storm recovery and preparedness.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, said the money will help the member-owned electric cooperative reimburse costs linked to severe weather in April 2024. The funding is also intended to support work designed to reduce the cooperative’s vulnerability to future storms and flooding.
Storm damage and future protection
The delegation said the award will cover repair-related expenses involving electric distribution infrastructure damaged during the April 2024 storms. The work includes repairs to power lines, utility poles and transformers, which are part of the system used to deliver electricity to customers across the cooperative’s service area.
In addition to reimbursing eligible costs from that storm, the funding will support measures to improve the cooperative’s ability to prepare for future severe weather. The lawmakers identified flood protection and other storm-preparedness work as uses for the federal money.
- $5.9 million or more in federal funding is being directed to the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative.
- The funds will help address damage from severe weather in April 2024.
- Planned uses include repairs to lines, poles and transformers as well as future storm preparedness and flood protection.
Delegation involvement
Shaheen, Hassan, Pappas and Goodlander jointly welcomed the funding for the cooperative. The announcement brings together all four members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation, which has represented the state in the Senate and House during the federal funding process.
The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative is a statewide electric cooperative that maintains distribution infrastructure and provides power to its members. The federal award is directed to the cooperative’s storm-related recovery and resilience work rather than to a state or municipal budget.
The funding follows the cooperative’s work to repair infrastructure affected by the 2024 weather event and to strengthen equipment and facilities against later storms. The delegation identified both the reimbursement of prior damage costs and preparation for future flooding as purposes of the award.
