With summer slowly coming to an end, Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative (CWEC) is finishing work on a project that ties its Wittenberg and Groenier substations together. The co-op was able to do this project because it was previously awarded a grant for the project through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) grant program. CWEC originally applied for this grant, as well as a grant for a second project in February 2024.

After being awarded grants for the two projects, CWEC was finally given the approval to begin work on the two grant projects about a year ago. Shortly after that, the co-op began work on the grant project of converting 2.5 miles of overhead lines to a three-phase underground line along Fairview Road in the townships of Bartelme and Almon in Shawano County. This line feeds the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. The co-op was awarded slightly more than $400,000 in grant funds for this project.

That project was completed by the end of 2025.

This year, work on the grant project that tied our Wittenberg and Groenier substations together began. The work for this grant project took place in an area where CWEC provides electrical service to larger commercial and agricultural businesses. As stated, the co-op recently completed this project. CWEC was awarded almost $900,000 in grant funds for the project.

Without the grants, the co-op would not have been able to complete these two projects. While investor-owned utilities can raise funds for projects like these, the co-op can’t do that because we provide service in a rural area. We have five members per mile of line, and investor-owned utilities have 35 customers per mile of line, so they have more money to do these types of projects.

We will continue to pursue grant funds in the future. Any grant funding we receive helps the co-op to complete needed upgrades to our electric grid earlier than planned for. And that’s a benefit to all our members.