CHEYENNE -- Two Wyoming electric utilities will receive more than $7.5 million combined in federal grants to help modernize their infrastructure.

As part of $3.4 billion in power grid modernization grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, Cheyenne Light, Fuel, and Power received about $5 million to update its communications system and to install 38,000 "smart meters" that automatically send usage information to the utility.

Sundance-based Powder River Energy Company received about $2.5 million to install automatic meters on its power substations and, potentially, at customers' houses.

The grants, which will be paid for under the government's economic stimulus package passed in January, were announced by President Obama in Florida on Tuesday.

Read more about this story in Wednesday's Star-Tribune.