English (United States)
Though Nebraska Public Power District was in its infancy 50-plus years ago, teammates were already accomplishing some incredible feats. There was an enormous need for electricity back then as the economy rapidly grew, with more than 2,000 megawatts coming on-line through the construction of baseload generation facilities that remain integral to our mix today, including coal-fired Gerald Gentleman Station, and our nuclear plant, Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS). These facilities were constructed using the most advanced technologies of their time, and immense care has been taken by teammates to ensure they remain safe and reliable energy sources for Nebraskans to this day.
NPPD is again seeing an increase in electricity needs as our customer communities embark on exciting ventures, new businesses take root, and electrification and smart technologies expand. In particular, this includes areas of ag processing, food processing, hydrogen/ammonia and data mining.
The amount of load growth we’re projecting in the near future, 600 megawatts, hasn’t occurred in decades. It’s not just happening in Omaha and Lincoln, but in our service territory which includes rural, agricultural areas where our customers are living and thriving. It’s truly been something to witness. NPPD is thrilled to be able to serve our customers so they can bring their new or expanding projects across the finish line. We’ll continue to do that in all the ways that matter to them – with unparalleled customer service and sustainable and safe operations that keep power reliable and costs affordable.
And, though we have many decisions to make, our all-hands-in approach respects the feedback of all customers to ensure we maintain public power’s values even as we rise up to meet the transformative changes happening within our industry.
While this rapid load growth is reminiscent of our earlier years, the way we will approach it will be different considering the new generation options and deployment methods available to us today thanks to advancing technology, and because of our goal to reduce carbon emissions to net zero levels by 2050.
Will our current generation facilities remain an important part of that mix? Yes – these resources we’ve relied upon for decades will continue to provide the bulk of our capacity and energy needs. Plotting a successful path forward requires a strategic exploration of how we might modernize some of our plants and capitalize on the excellent operation of our overall generation mix well into the future, including by considering a license extension at CNS.
Yet, new generation will also be necessary to help us meet our sustainability goals and ensure we are ready for the load growth to come. This may include new natural gas-fueled resources, utility-scale battery storage, and capacity purchases from other entities within the Southwest Power Pool, a regional transmission organization of which we are a member. Fortunately, our past experience alongside knowledgeable and skilled teammates will make certain we accomplish all these goals with customers in mind every step of the way.
We are not the only utility in our industry – or even the state – experiencing the need for additional generation. The difference is that as a public power utility in Nebraska, NPPD will always put our customers first, recognizing their needs and values and working with integrity and transparency as we continue creating a better place for all to live, work and play.
