Energy Portfolio
Integrated Resource Plan
In keeping with our mission of providing affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive energy services to our customers, OPPD is committed to maintaining a diverse energy portfolio. With dynamic changes taking place in the utility industry, OPPD regularly reviews its generation resource options.
In February 2017, OPPD submitted an updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), with whom we have a long-term contract to receive hydroelectric power. (WAPA is one of four power marketing administrations within the federal Department of Energy.)
We use a comprehensive, decision-support tool to evaluate resource options for the IRP. We analyze such things as market conditions, costs, load requirements, regulation, new technologies and customer preferences. The resulting IRP serves as a road map for future generation and power purchases.
As the utility industry continues to rapidly evolve, OPPD will adjust its assumptions and resulting plans for serving the electrical demand of our customer-owners.
OPPD's Current fuel sources for generation
- Low-sulfur coal
- Wind
- Landfill gas
- Natural gas and fuel oil
- Hydroelectric
OPPD Generating Plants
North Omaha Station (pictured above) units 4 and 5 burn low-sulfur coal and are baseload units, designed to run year-round. We retrofitted North Omaha 4 and 5 with basic emissions controls in 2016.
Also in 2016, OPPD retired North Omaha units 1-3 from coal operations. These units are still available to run on natural gas, serving as peaking units during times of peak demand for electricity.
Nebraska City Station units 1 and 2 are fueled by low-sulfur coal, which results in cleaner emissions than high-sulfur coal. Nebraska City is a baseload generating plant.
OPPD retrofitted Nebraska City 1 with basic emissions controls in 2016. Operational in 2009, Nebraska City 2 was designed with more current emissions controls.
Peaking Plants and Landfill Gas
OPPD has three peaking plants fueled by natural gas and/or fuel oil: Cass County Station, Jones Street Station and Sarpy County Station.
Elk City Station is fueled by methane and other gases produced by decomposing trash buried in the Douglas County Landfill. These gases would otherwise need to be burned or "flared off" into the atmosphere. Elk City is a baseload plant.
Renewable Energy
OPPD has purchase power agreements with several Nebraska wind farms, scattered across the state from north-central to southeast. Because it is intermittent, wind energy supplements baseload generation. (Pictured above: Broken Bow wind farm located near Broken Bow, NE)
In 2019, OPPD will add 160MW of wind generation to its portfolio when the Sholes Wind Energy Center comes online. With this addition, OPPD expects to provide nearly 40% of electricity for retail sales from renewable sources.
In response to customer interest, OPPD launched a community solar program in 2019. This 5MWac solar facility, near the town of Fort Calhoun, was brought online in late-2019.
We're Listening
As a public power utility, OPPD seeks feedback from its customer-owners and other stakeholders on important issues that relate to our mission of providing affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive energy services.
The outreach and feedback tools in our stakeholder process include town hall meetings, online comment forums, focus groups and telephone surveys.
OPPD continues to welcome feedback from customer-owners across our service area regarding our energy portfolio.