In July 2023, NASEO, in partnership with the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), Energy and Natural Resources Division (the State Energy Office), was awarded an Energizing Rural Communities Prize by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations. The objective of the Prize was to support innovative partnerships in Mississippi that could alleviate energy reliability and energy burden challenges faced by the rural community of Blue Mountain, Mississippi.
Phase One of the project was implemented from July 2023 to July 2024, during which NASEO and MDA assisted in identifying additional project team partners. These project partners included the Blue Mountain Mayor’s Office; New Albany Light, Gas & Water (NALGW), a municipal utility servicing the town of Blue Mountain and its surrounding area; and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which provides bulk power to the municipal utility through a power purchase agreement. The team came together to identify a pathway for mitigating frequent energy outages in Blue Mountain. A solar and storage microgrid was identified as the most affordable, resilient, and clean solution for Blue Mountain that would also provide economic, decarbonization, and health benefits for the community.
Through this project, NASEO and MDA advanced this productive and strategic partnership, convened in-person meetings to promote peer learning and facilitate community engagement among local residents and decision-makers, and developed written and presentation materials on best practices around this teaming approach that other states could leverage for their own rural community engagement. In September 2024, Blue Mountain, Mississippi was announced as one of 33 communities awarded funding through Phase Two of the Prize, which will enable NALGW to develop and issue a solicitation to conduct a feasibility study for the clean energy microgrid in Blue Mountain. This will provide valuable data and information on cost, location, permitting, and sizing for the eventual construction of the clean energy microgrid to alleviate energy outages experienced by the town.
For more information about the NASEO Energizing Rural Communities Prize Project, please watch the video below: