Umatilla Electric Cooperative

Umatilla Electric Cooperative, a not-for-profit rural electric utility based in Hermiston, Oregon, operates as a prime recipient on federal grants and contracts focused on electric utility infrastructure, cybersecurity, and rural economic development, with no federal contract prime awards but significant grant experience across civilian and defense agencies.

The cooperative is a tax-exempt corporate entity operating exclusively in rural utility delivery and infrastructure enhancement. Its recent award footprint reflects a small but diversified set of federal relationships spanning the Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, Department of the Navy, Department of Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The cooperative's primary NAICS category is Electric Power Distribution (11 awards); the corresponding PSC coding is Utilities—Electric (17 awards across the entire portfolio).

Umatilla's most substantive recent award is a $2.385 million cooperative agreement from the Department of Energy Office of Cyber Security, issued on August 15, 2026, under the Cybersecurity, Energy Security & Emergency Response (CESER) program (CFDA 81.008). The award funds the Umatilla Electric Cooperative Operational Technology and Industrial Control Systems Dark Fiber Expansion Project, which runs through February 14, 2029, and provides direct support to eligible utilities for cybersecurity-posture enhancements under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A second grant — $300,000 from the USDA Rural Housing Service under the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.854) — supported the Cooperative's Rural Economic Development Grant – Electric Farm Bill project and ran through February 2, 2025. The cooperative also holds a definitive contract with Naval Facilities Engineering Command for electricity services, valued at $80,000 and extending through September 30, 2032.

Customer concentration is split across multiple small agencies. The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service accounts for 6 awards by count; the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 combined) accounts for 7 awards representing $1.132 million in combined potential value. The cooperative serves nine distinct federal agencies, but total combined potential value across all 27 awards is $1.4 million — a modest portfolio anchored by the single $2.385 million DOE grant. Obligated dollars ($9.5 million across the portfolio) substantially exceed combined potential value, indicating that many awards are completed or nearly so.

Activity has been minimal and uneven over the past five years: one award in 2021, two in 2022, one in 2023, none in 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026. Within the next twenty-four months, one award with combined potential value of $176,000 faces ultimate completion. The cooperative holds task-order authority under two government indefinite-delivery contracts — one Army Basic Ordering Agreement (DAAG4977C0015) and one Corps of Engineers Indefinite Delivery Contract (DACW6884C0041) — with minimal recent activity under either. Subrecipient work includes three grant sub-awards through the Oregon Department of Energy and Oregon Military Department for distribution-line undergrounding and emergency protective measures, supporting disaster recovery and rural infrastructure resilience missions.