Nebraska City 2 Transmission Line

Transmission Line News Archives

Progress Report - Spring 2007

Right of Way Acquisitions 75% Complete
Over the past few months, OPPD Land Rights staff have been meeting with property owners from whom we need easements. As of mid-April, about 75% of the required 165 parcels have been acquired.  All easements have been secured for the area east of the Lancaster-Otoe County line to approximately County Road 56th Street on the western edge of Nebraska City.  Over the past month, Land Rights staff has been concentrating their efforts in and around Nebraska City and negotiations have just begun at the western-most edge of the line outside of Lincoln. 

In February, workers began clearing trees and undergrowth along the route of the line where easements have been acquired.  This work will continue until early fall.  Construction materials are now being delivered, and a construction staging site has been set up along Old Highway 2 in Syracuse.  Crews started setting foundations for poles in mid-April, and that work will continue through November.  The poles are being hauled directly to the locations where they will eventually be erected.

Project schedule
The line is scheduled for completion in May 2008.  As construction is completed along the way, the land rights representatives will return to settle claims for any damages that may have occurred.

At OPPD’s Nebraska City Power Plant, construction of the new plant is about 30% complete.  There are approximately 650 construction workers on site, with dozens more providing associated engineering and procurement functions.  The plant is scheduled to begin generating electricity for customers May 2009.

Progress Report - Winter 2006

New Highway Interchange Requires West End Reroute
The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) recently determined that the western-most section of the original line route near Highway 2 and 120th Street is in conflict with a major interchange which will be part of the new Lincoln South Beltway project. The NDOR advised OPPD that if the line were to be constructed through this area, it would have to moved once work on the interchange began. At the time OPPD selected this section of the route, the NDOR had not completed design of the interchange and had not yet imposed corridor protection, which prevents any unapproved construction from taking place. Although OPPD and the NDOR discussed coordination of the projects many times over the past year in an effort to find a solution that would accommodate the power line through the interchange, it was determined the line would have to be built farther north.

The NDOR’s decision left OPPD no alternative but to identify an alternate route through this area. The new section of the route turns north from Highway 2 at 148th Street for one-half mile, then runs west along the half-section line until it intersects with Highway 2. The line then turns southwest and follows the original route into the new substation site at 103rd and Rokeby Road. Property owners along both the original and revised route were notified earlier this fall about the change. OPPD recently finalized the design of this portion of the line and will soon contact owners from whom we will need an easement. The Nebraska Public Service Commission has approved the redesigned power line project.

Easement Negotiations
Because OPPD needed time to work things out with the NDOR, the original schedule was changed as was the order for contacting property owners regarding easements. Instead of starting on the west end as originally announced, OPPD land rights representatives have mostly been concentrating on the area from Unadilla east to around Dunbar. Their schedule is less predictable than initially planned due to the route change and some environmental considerations, so it is difficult to say when owners in any particular location will be contacted.

Construction Schedule
Easement acquisition will continue through the summer of 2007, and the line is scheduled for completion in May 2008. After construction is completed along the way, the land rights representatives will return to settle claims for any damages that may have occurred.

Progress Report – Summer 2006

From late April until mid-June, soil tests were conducted in a number of locations along the route of the line. The soil tests provide important information required in designing the foundations for the steel poles.

In May, OPPD Land Rights staff began meeting with owners of property the line will cross and from whom easements will be required. The process will continue for about one year. The original plan was to start the easement acquisition process on the west end in Lincoln and move east toward Nebraska City. That schedule has been slightly adjusted because the precise path of the planned new state highway bypass around Lincoln has not yet been determined. This has a major impact on the placement of the power line. OPPD has been working with the Nebraska Department of Roads to obtain more specific information so it can finalize the design of the line through that area. For this reason, negotiations with property owners actually started a few miles father east near Highway 2 and 162nd Street. Land owners whose property is in the vicinity of the bypass "corridor protection" area may not be contacted until later this fall.

In August, OPPD will advertise contracts and seek bids for supplying the poles and the wires for the line. The contracts will be awarded in October. Our schedule still calls for construction to begin in the February-March 2007 time frame.

Progress Report - Spring 2006

Soil Testing
The line will connect NC2 with a new substation southeast of Lincoln. The routing and basic design work for the Nebraska City 2 (NC2) transmission line are complete.

Easement Acquisition
During April and May, OPPD survey crews are in the area, staking locations where soil tests will be made. The soil tests provide important information needed to design and purchase appropriate poles for specific locations and soil conditions. To minimize the need to access private property during this stage, OPPD is staking and testing many locations along public road right of way.

Be advised - the location of stakes does not necessarily indicate the final location of a pole. The stakes only indicate where soil tests are being made. Where OPPD needs to conduct a soil test on private property, the right-of-way staff will first contact owners personally to get permission for access.

Negotiations
Easement values will be based on appraisals conducted by independent, licensed appraisers and will be used in conjunction with any special property considerations to negotiate an agreement with owners. It is OPPD's practice to provide just compensation and to pay fair market value in a way that is equitable to all owners.

OPPD's easement rights are permanent, but owners retain ownership of the property. They can continue to use it for any activities that do not interfere with the operation and maintenance of the line, such as farming, parking, driveways, etc. Restricted activities would include building a structure, altering the grade or planting vegetation that grows into the line.

OPPD will make a sincere effort to come to mutually acceptable agreements with property owners, and owners may accept or reject any offer made. Should no agreement be reached, owners have the right to have the easement value determined through the eminent domain process.

Easements will be acquired in sections, from west to east. As sections are acquired, construction will begin, starting in January 2007. The next steps will be to clear vegetation under the line, install the pole foundations, erect the pole structures and string the wire. The construction process is scheduled to be completed by March 2008.

As construction segments are completed, OPPD right-of-way staff will come through again to assess any damages that may have occurred: crop losses, soil compaction, damaged fences, waterways, terraces, driveways, etc. OPPD will pay for restoration, over and above the easement payment. In the future, OPPD will occasionally require access for routine maintenance and storm restoration.

February 24, 2006

OPPD To Hold Public Hearings

The Omaha Public Power District will be holding three public hearings to announce the specific placement of the new Nebraska City 2 transmission line. Since announcing the proposed route of the line last April, OPPD has been finalizing the line design and alignment, including which sides of roads, highways and property lines the line will be constructed on and location of transmission poles.

Also over the past few months, a team of professional appraisers has been establishing values for properties on which OPPD will need to obtain easements. In early February, letters will be mailed to these property owners inviting them to the public hearings. There will also be advertisements placed in local and regional newspapers announcing the hearings. Along with the letter, property owners will receive a drawing showing where the line and poles, if any, will be placed on their property, as well as the value of the easement established by the appraisers. In April, OPPD's Land Rights staff will begin contacting land owners to begin negotiations for easements.

The public hearings will be held at 7 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

April 19, 2005

OPPD Unveils Line Route

“The routing factor cited by residents as most important was minimizing the number of homes within close proximity to the line,” said OPPD Vice President Adrian Minks. “We were able to find a route where there are only four homes within 300 feet and none closer than about 150 feet.”

Another priority identified was to utilize existing right-of-way corridors and OPPD-owned property where possible. The route is 49 miles long and 80 percent of it parallels highways, roads, railroads and existing power lines, or is on OPPD-owned property. Some of the route follows Nebraska Highway 2, moving off the road to avoid housing where possible.

OPPD has sent letters to property-owners along the route letting them know of the selection and offering to meet personally with them to answer questions.

“Our goal was to identify a route that had the least overall negative impact and we believe we have succeeded,” said Ms. Minks. “We know people living along the route may not be pleased, but we remain committed to working with them to make the project acceptable.”

The utility also promised resident and land owners along the line to keep them informed of the progress of the project.

OPPD’s next step will be to begin the engineering design of the transmission line, which must be complete before it can begin negotiating right-of-way easements. The transmission line must be built before the new Nebraska City Unit #2 power plant can go into service. OPPD plans to complete the line in 2008. A group of utility engineers from across the Midwest decided the line from Nebraska City to near Lincoln was the best way to connect the new power plant to the state’s electrical grid.

March 22, 2005

Public Provides Input for Line Routing
More than 500 people attended public open houses held by the Omaha Public Power District on the proposed new transmission line March 8th, 9th and 10th in Syracuse, Bennet and Nebraska City. Attendees were invited to provide input on six route options and to prioritize routing factors. These factors are used to evaluate various line segments, with the goal of selecting an overall route that has the least negative impact on people and property and which is cost effective. Those attending the open houses were asked to rank the following factors according to importance:

• Existing homes and residential dwellings
• Natural resources (woodlots, prairies, threatened and endangered species, trees, water ways, wetlands, etc.)
• Existing buildings (airports, airstrips, churches, commercial buildings, hospitals, industrial buildings, schools)
• Future planning districts (platted residential lots, commercial development plans)
• Agricultural considerations (center pivot irrigation, interference with farming operations)
• Utilities (underground gas lines, crossing existing overhead power lines)
• Total length of the line (length impacts cost)
• Use of existing right-of-way or corridors (highway, railroad, power lines, etc.)

By a large margin, attendees said the most important factor in selecting a route for the line is to avoid existing houses as much as possible. The next two most-important criteria chosen were to avoid other existing buildings and to use existing corridors where feasible. This feedback will help guide the OPPD team in selecting a final route for the line.

During the last two weeks of March, the routing team will be evaluating this and other public input, along with engineering considerations, cost, and information obtained from local and state agencies. In April, a final route will be selected and announced. Residents and land owners along the route will be invited to meet personally with OPPD to discuss their concerns and provide additional information about their property. Also in April, we will begin aerial surveys, followed by line alignment and design. Property owners will be contacted later in the process regarding specific pole locations and other design issues. OPPD will hold a final public meeting on the route in November or December, and negotiations with property owners for required easements will begin early in 2006. Construction of the line will start in mid-2007, with completion scheduled for May 2008.

March 7, 2005

OPPD to Show Possible Line Route
The Omaha Public Power District this week unveils several possible routes for a new transmission line from near Nebraska City to southeast of Lincoln. To meet the future energy needs of its customers and customers of other public power utilities in the state, OPPD is building a new power plant at the site of its current plant south of Nebraska City. The new line is needed to deliver much of the electricity from that plant to the power grid.

To select the best route for the line, OPPD is holding three open houses this week to solicit input from area residents.

The open houses will be March 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Kimmel Ag Expo Center, 120 Plum St., Syracuse; March 9 at 7:00 p.m. at Bennet Elementary School, 50 Dogwood, Bennet; and March 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Nebraska City High School Gymnasium, 141 Steinhart Park Rd., Nebraska City. Residents will have the opportunity to comment on potential routes and route segments.

To view a PDF map of the possible routes for the line corridors, click here. You may also view a map illustrating the potential route segments. Or, more detailed maps of the area are available for download.

Low Resolution: east (0.5 mb), central (0.5 mb), west (0.6 mb).

High Resolution: east (9.4 mb), central (9.2 mb), west (8.9 mb).

February 24, 2005

Potential Line Routes to be Unveiled Next Month
The Omaha Public Power District is moving closer to selecting a route for a new transmission line that will run from near Nebraska City to southeast of Lincoln. The line will link a new coal plant the utility is building just south of Nebraska City with the state’s electric grid system, and provide power and increased electrical reliability for all of Nebraska.

OPPD is currently working to develop two to four potential line routes using information gathered from a series of open houses earlier this month. The potential routes will be unveiled in March during another series of open meetings. The first meeting will take place March 8 at the Kimmel Ag-Expo Center in Syracuse, Nebraska. That will be followed by a meeting on March 9 at Bennet Elementary School in Bennet and a meeting on March 10 at the Nebraska City High School in Nebraska City.

Using input from the meetings, experts will select a single transmission line route the will have the least impact on the area. Once that route is selected it will require purchasing the necessary easements for construction of the line. The process of acquiring easements is scheduled to begin sometime in 2006. Landowners will retain ownership of the land under the line.

All of the open meetings in March are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

January 31, 2005

OPPD to Hold Open Houses on Possible Line Corridors

The Omaha Public Power District will unveil three possible “corridors” which may contain the route for a new transmission line from near Nebraska City to southeast of Lincoln. To meet the future energy needs of its customers, OPPD is building a new power plant at the site of its current plant south of Nebraska City. The new line is needed to deliver much of the electricity from that plant to the power grid.

In order to select the best route for the line, OPPD is holding open houses to solicit input from area residents.

The open houses will be:

• February 8 at 7:00 p.m. at OPPD's Syracuse Service Center, 935 11th St., Syracuse
• February 10 at 7:00 p.m. at Nebraska City High School, 141 Steinhart Park Rd., Nebraska City

Residents will have the opportunity to comment on broad corridors through which the line may run.

Information gathered at the open houses will be used in consideration of potential line routes. Additional open houses are planned for next month to give the public an opportunity to view those potential routes.

Please Click here for more on Nebraska City 2.

January 18, 2005

Nebraska Power Review Board Okays NC2 Transmission Line

On January 7, the Nebraska Power Review Board (NPRB) approved OPPD’s application for authorization to build a 345-kilovolt transmission line from Nebraska City Station to southeast of Lincoln. The line is planned to extend between 50 and 60 miles from the plant site to a new Lincoln Electric System substation. OPPD assured Power Review Board members it will seek input from the public before deciding on a route for the new line.

January 5, 2005

Recent activity

OPPD's routing consultant, HDR, has had employees in the field doing a "windshield survey" to discover firsthand if any obstacles exist in the way of potential corridors. As part of this, aerial photography has been completed of Otoe County and a portion of eastern Lancaster County to assist in the assessment of potential corridors.

The Nebraska Power Review Board will hear about the transmission line at a public meeting on Friday, January 7, in Lincoln at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will take place on the 5th floor of the State Office Building at 301 Centennial Mall South in the Liquor Control Commission Hearing Room.

OPPD is planning public open houses on the process of planning the transmission line. Meetings to review potential corridors will be held at 7 p.m. on February 8 at the Nebraska City High School and February 10 at the OPPD Syracuse Center.

Public input from those meetings will be considered as potential line routes are developed. Public meetings to review the potential line routes will be held at 7 p.m. on March 8 at the Nebraska City High School and March 10 at the OPPD Syracuse Center.

September 2, 2004

OPPD Meeting with Residents on New Transmission Line

Area residents will have the opportunity to play a vital role in the planning of a new transmission line in Nebraska. The line will help ensure the state maintains adequate capacity to move electricity and meet future demands for power across the state.

The Omaha Public Power District has issued a request for proposals to assist in determining corridors and routes for a new transmission line. The line would link the District’s planned 600 Megawatt (million watts) power plant near Nebraska City with public utilities west of OPPD’s service territory. Seven public utilities have signed long-term agreements with OPPD to buy up to half of the electricity generated by the new plant once it goes online in 2009.

As part of a new public input process, OPPD plans to meet with interested residents along potential routes for the new transmission line. The meetings will serve to help evaluate potential problems in possible routes for locating the line before a final selection is made.

The nation’s transmission system has increasingly come under scrutiny since last year’s East Coast blackout that affected more than 50 million people. The new proposed transmission line will help avoid similar situations in Nebraska by increasing the ability to move electricity across the state. That will increase reliability while maintaining stable, favorable electricity costs. Electricity in Nebraska currently costs around 20 percent less than the national average.

“As Nebraska grows, the demand for additional energy also grows. That means we need to add to our current system,” said OPPD President and CEO Gary Gates. “This line will help us keep up with the customer demand and also provide additional routes to deliver power.”

The line will run from the Nebraska City Station Unit 2 site south of Nebraska City to a point somewhere southeast of Lincoln, Nebraska. Participants in Nebraska City Station Unit 2 are OPPD, Nebraska Public Power District, Nebraska City Utilities, Falls City Utilities, City of Grand Island Utilities Department, City of Independence (Missouri) Power and Light, Missouri Joint Electric Utility Commission and Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.