Some 77 utilities and cooperatives in 31 states from Florida to Montana will receive a total of $2.3 billion in loans to improve rural electric service, said the USDA. The loans would support work ranging from building new transmission lines to constructing solar farms and adding “smart grid” technology to reduce costs. The bulk of the money, $2.1 billion, would go toward building nearly 12,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines, according to USDA’s list of awards. Some $108 million would be spent on smart grid technology to improve the reliability and efficiency of electrical service to customers. A company in Cornelius, North Carolina, O2 EMC Portfolio 1, would receive $23 million in loans to build solar farms.