The Nebraska Public Power District held its September 10-11, 2008, Board of Directors’ meeting in Columbus, Neb. The next Board of Directors’ meeting will be held Thursday and Friday, October 9-10, 2008, in Columbus.

Guests at the meeting included: Jim Novotny, Harry Walahoski, Marvin Scheideler and Larry White with Loup Valleys Rural Public Power District; Neal Suess with Loup Public Power District; Jack Tamagni with Castleton Partners; Jim Marlin of Fulbright Jaworski; Freda Wang and Ed Meyers of Goldman Sachs; and Lloyd Drain representing the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority.

The Board approved the following actions for Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS): a supplement to a previously approved capital project for the control room annunciator upgrade for $1,815,000; a supplement for security microwave intrusion detection system upgrade for $316,000; a supplement for small scale power uprate for $400,000; and a capital project for a reactor recirculation motor generator set motor refurbishment for $998,000.

The following contracts and engineer’s certificates for CNS were also approved:

• Engineer’s Certificate for replacement of two extraction steam system non-return valves for an estimated $163,970 plus performance bond costs;
• Task Authorization with Engineering Planning and Management, Inc., for fire protection engineer staff augmentation for an estimated amount of $326,150; and
• An Amendment with Team One, LLC, for scaffolding services for the Spring 2008 refueling and maintenance outage for $129,000.

A resolution was approved to authorize management to execute a membership agreement with the Southwestern Power Pool (SPP).

The Board also approved the following for Energy Supply: 

• Contract with Consolidated Equipment Company for a water plant upgrade at Canaday Station for $217,071;  
• Resolution to authorize management to enter into for natural gas supply, transportation, and balancing contracts for Hallam Combustion Turbine and Sheldon Station for 2009-2014 in an amount not to exceed $17,500,000;
• Amendment with Exothermic Engineering, LLC, for engineering services for the support of combustion air modification and loss-on-ignition reduction measurements for Sheldon Station for the amount of $110,900;
• Approved the purchase of custodial services at Sheldon Station with Rag Time Cleaning in the amount of $75,000.

The Board accepted the July 2008 financial statements. Traci Bender, vice president and chief financial officer, reported that the District ended operations for the month of July with a surplus of $1.4 million. The year-to-date surplus through the end of July is $1.5 million.

The Board approved the sale of general revenue bonds, 2008 Series B, in the amount of $332.8 million to be used for the purpose of financing various 2008 capital projects for generation and transmission needs, the largest of which is Phase II of the Electric Transmission Reliability Project.

Also approved was a resolution and credit agreement to increase the taxable commercial paper financing program from $100 million to $200 million. The Board approved the appointment of Jeffrey Wadsworth, NPPD Accounting and Financing, as an authorized signatory for NPPD.

The following capital projects were approved by the Board: 115 kilovolt (kV) substation refurbishment at Canaday Station for $1,806,750; Bloomfield-Gavins Point 115 kV transmission line refurbishment for $1,661,823; Hastings 230 kV substation refurbishment and 115 kV capacity upgrade for $1,803,916; Ord 115 kV substation capacity upgrade for $851,718; distribution pole replacement projects for 2008 at various locations for $382,307; sub-transmission line spring storm damage restoration for $775,192; distribution line spring storm damage restoration for $520,007; extra high voltage line spring storm damage restoration for $2,760,155; and high voltage line spring storm damage restoration for $687,211.

Also approved were the following customer services and delivery items: 

• Contract for 115 kV transmission line refurbishment from Bloomfield – Gavins Point, awarded to TESSCO Utility Services, Inc., for $782,085;
• Contract for Hastings 230 kV Substation addition and modifications was awarded in three parts to TESSCO Utility Services, Inc., for the following amounts: Part I, $108,391; Part II for $90,842; and Part II I for $137,737, plus performance bond costs of $8,500;  
• Contract for relay/control panels for Canaday Station awarded to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc., for $174,705;
• Contract for a mini digger derrick, awarded to Altec Industries, Inc., for $123,963;
• Engineer’s Certificate for the purchase of one used 60-foot digger derrick from Global Rental Company in an amount not-to-exceed $128,409;
• Amendment with POWER Engineers, Inc., for an estimated amount of $2,042,600 for additional professional engineering services for the Electric Transmission Reliability Project for East-Central Nebraska;
• An amendment for helicopter services for transmission line patrol with Hawkeye Helicopter LLC, in the amount of $200,000;
• An Agreement with Energy System Laboratory of the University of Nebraska Lincoln, for $100,000 for the System Optimization Study of the General Office HVAC System.

The Board rescinded the contract previously awarded to Capital Equipment for two aerial lift devices due to sales tax adjustments on the original bid and awarded the contract to Crane Sales for $343,361.The Board also rejected bids for 10 power transformers and for the Columbus General Office HVAC chiller installation.

In other action the Board approved changes to the 2009 Employee Benefits Program.