United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced Wednesday The United States Department of Agriculture has awarded $492,659,000 in funds through the Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program to Cooperative Energy located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The funds will benefit Hinds, Coahoma, Holmes, Leake, Carroll, Franklin, Tunica, Attala, Claiborne, Bolivar, Sharkey, Quitman, Humphreys, Wilkinson, Warren, Leflore, Yazoo, Amite, Copiah, Montgomery, Grenada, Adams, Tallahatchie, Sunflower, Washington and Issaquena counties located in the Second Congressional District.

This rural development investment will be used to finance transmission facilities, improvements to existing transmission facilities and improvements to generation systems.

Cooperative Energy provides wholesale power to its 11 distribution cooperative members, located in the southern and western portions of Mississippi.

This partnership powers the lives of approximately 1 million Mississippians in 55 counties of Mississippi.