English (United States)
Historic agreement to ensure lasting uses of Niobrara River for Nebraskans
A historic agreement has been negotiated to preserve the future of the Niobrara River Basin between the Niobrara basin’s Natural Resource Districts (NRDs), the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (Commission) and the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). Formal action on a memorandum of understanding will be taken by each of the parties at their respective meetings today.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the Commission and NRDs will work with NPPD to take steps towards transfer of assets, including NPPD’s water appropriations on the Niobrara River, Spencer Hydro dam, and the lands and easements associated with the dam. The parties will seek legislative authority to convert NPPD’s water rights to a multi-use water right, part of which will be conserved for recreation and fish and wildlife needs, and part of which will be conserved for integrated water management in the Niobrara River basin.
The NRDs, the Commission and NPPD reaffirmed why water management in Nebraska stands apart from other states.
“This is a Nebraska plan for conserving a Nebraska jewel,” said Jim Douglas, director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “The Commission, the NRDs and NPPD want to ensure that the future of the Niobrara River will be decided by Nebraskans, with the best interests of Nebraskans in mind. All parties involved are pleased with this outcome and proud to work together to achieve a diverse set of goals for a valuable Nebraska resource.”
The five Natural Resources Districts located in the Niobrara basin created the Niobrara River Basin Alliance to help protect the river with agreements like the one announced today. These in the Alliance include the Upper Niobrara White NRD, Middle Niobrara NRD, Lower Niobrara NRD, Upper Elkhorn NRD and Upper Loup NRD, who are working together to ensure the long-term sustainability of sufficient water in the Niobrara River basin to safeguard future economic activity, agriculture, other water users, fish and wildlife, and recreation activities along the Niobrara for generations to come.
In addition to accepting the transfer of NPPD’s assets, the Commission and the NRDs plan to seek an instream flow for the 39-mile stretch of the river below the dam to the confluence of the Niobrara and Missouri rivers. This stretch of river is used by several endangered species, including pallid sturgeon, interior least tern, piping plover and whooping crane.
“Nebraska Public Power District is pleased that the water which has been benefitting Nebraskans with renewable electricity since 1927 while maintaining flows in the river for a variety of uses, will be preserved through this agreement,” said Brian Barels, NPPD’s Water Resources Manager. “NPPD is extremely proud to be a party to this agreement, which will provide for water sustainability in this great Niobrara River Valley and to enable Nebraskans to continue to enjoy the river for fish, wildlife, recreation and other uses into the future.”
NPPD established the value of the Spencer facility and water rights at $12 million. The Commission and the NRDs will secure $9 million to purchase the assets, and NPPD will provide an in-kind contribution of $3 million. The Commission and NRDs plan to seek funding from the Water Sustainability Fund, the Nebraska Environmental Trust and other sources.
The next steps for the group include securing funding and seeking legislative authority to convert NPPD’s water rights to multi-use water rights. NPPD will continue to own and operate the facility to generate power until it is able to transfer assets to the Natural Resources Districts and Commission. The transfer is expected to take two years to complete.
“While the NRDs support local solutions, it was important to work with all interested parties,” said Marty Graff, Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District Board Member and secretary of the Niobrara River Basin Alliance. “Because instream flow rights can only be held by NRDs and the Commission, an invitation was made and together we reached out to NPPD. In the end, all parties were responsible for creating a sustainable water management plan that will protect the Niobrara River and basin for years to come.”
The Niobrara River extends across northern Nebraska from its narrow beginnings 50 miles inside eastern Wyoming. It empties into the Missouri River 486 miles later between the village of Niobrara and Niobrara State Park. The main sources of inflow are tributaries and Sandhills groundwater. In 1991, a 76-mile stretch of the Niobrara was designated a National Scenic River to preserve unique biological features. Eastern, western and northern species of trees and wildlife all can be found intermixed on slopes along the river. The Niobrara is also extremely popular for canoeing, kayaking and floating trips.
When are rates set?
NPPD rates are reviewed annually, and any proposed rate changes are normally approved during NPPD’s December Board of Directors Meeting.
Will my bill be higher this month because of the cold weather and rolling outages?
Most NPPD customers can expect to see a higher monthly electricity bill this month due to the recent cold weather event which caused customers to have higher usage. A higher bill would not be the result of a rate increase however because the rates did not change.
Does my NPPD rate change throughout the year?
When proposing a rate change, NPPD typically sets and approves rates during the December Board of Directors Meeting. The rates that are approved go into effect February 1 of the next year.
The only other time NPPD’s rates change during the year is when the higher summer rates automatically go into effect for the months of June through September. Aside from this, any increase or decrease in your bill is likely tied to increased energy usage during severe cold or hot weather.
NPPD retail rates have remained steady with no overall increase in eight years.
How will February’s cold temperatures and rolling outages impact my rates in future years?
The financial impact of the most recent historic polar vortex events as it relates to rates are unclear at the present time. Many factors, including future weather impacts, load growth, and the cost to generate and deliver electricity will impact NPPD’s financial position and rates.
How will cold temperatures and rolling outages impact my monthly bill?
Simply put, if you use more electricity than “normal” you will have a higher bill. Rates have not changed. Think of it as a consistently priced fuel, that never fluctuates in price per gallon. If you need to fill up more often, it will require a larger amount of product, and as a result you have higher costs.
Does it take more energy and cost more to lower my thermostat now, only to raise it later to regain warmth?
This is a myth that many have heard for years. Contrary to belief, your system will operate for longer periods to recover and heat pump systems may switch to supplemental or auxiliary heat, but overall energy use is reduced if the setback occurs over at least a few hours.
NPPD operators at our control center handle increases and decreases in load and train for these situations. The operators refer to this as the Cold Load Effect. When customers are returned to service from a long outage, there can be a sharp increase in electricity usage that must be accounted for. As motors begin to start when the load is energized and more equipment powers on than was previously when the customer was interrupted. This means, when there are several customers experiencing an outage at the same time, operators need to consider the load when the circuit is restored can be higher than when it was interrupted. The longer a circuit is interrupted, the more pronounced the Cold Load Effect will be.
In the case of this most recent event, homes were using heat so consistently during the day and the interruptions were short enough that there was no significant change in electricity usage when one circuit was brought back online and another was turned off. During the rolling blackouts, when one group of customers was experiencing an outage, a new set of customers would betaken offline before the first group was returned to service. This helped ensure that there were no spikes in electricity usage that would have a negative impact on the generation and load balance.
Who can I contact for assistance with payment arrangements for my NPPD bill, or information on assistance agencies?
Payment arrangements can be arranged by contacting NPPD at 1-877-ASK-NPPD.
Those in need should also contact NPPD at the above listed number for more information and a listing of energy assistance from local agencies.
What is a rolling blackout outage?
Rolling blackouts, also known as rotating outages, are controlled, temporary interruptions of the electrical service directed by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). These outages can occur when electricity generating resources cannot meet the electricity demand in the region. NPPD and others must reduce demand in an amount directed by SPP and act upon this within minutes.
When is a rolling blackout necessary?
Rolling blackouts are necessary as a last resort to maintain the reliability of the electrical grid system. SPP directs rotating outages when electricity generating resources cannot meet the electrical demand in the region. They rotate or roll to different systems and areas so we can all absorb a short outage at different times versus a long outage for one specific area.
The recent situation was extraordinary and an unprecedented chain of events, including historic low temperatures across the entire SPP footprint, lack of wind generation, reduced amounts of natural gas because of frozen wells and sky rocking natural gas prices. A situation never seen before in this region since SPP was founded.
Why was there little notice before power was shut off to some customers?
Just like many of our retail and wholesale customers, NPPD received the emergency notices from SPP with little warning, requiring us to load shed with just a few minutes to act.
NPPD did our best in this emergent situation to communicate not only to our large industrial and residential retail customers, but also with as many wholesale customers as we could. This was done with a press release, via emails, regularly scheduled wholesale customer meetings throughout the event, and using social media. Unfortunately, with the short timeframe not all customers were able to be reached before some outages began.
We continue to evaluate and review the events of this situation and will look for ways to learn and improve our process, should it ever be needed again.
Is there an easy way to track my energy usage?
Tracking your energy usage can easily be done by downloading NPPD’s mobile application, “NPPD On The Go!”. Download by searching “NPPD” in the Google Play or Apple App store. Then click “Register” and have your account number, service address zip code, and phone number ready. Finally complete the account information.
What are the benefits of using “NPPD On The Go!”?
Who and what is Southwest Power Pool (SPP)?
NPPD is a member of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a non-profit regional transmission organization in the central part of the United States. SPP is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure customers in the region receive reliable power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitively priced electricity. SPP and its members coordinate the flow of electricity across more than 65,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states.
Why is it important to have a diverse energy mix?
NPPD believes a diverse generation mix serves our customers best. We use wind -- when it is available. We use coal -- which is reliable and helps keep electric rates low. We use water -- one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. We use nuclear -- which offers emission-free, around-the-clock power. We use natural gas -- to complement the portfolio.
NPPD’s diverse energy generation mix helps keep our electricity reliable and keep rates as low as possible.
Public power, as it always does, answered the call to help protect the bulk electric system which serves the central portion of the country and is part of the larger Eastern Interconnect. The system requires real-time balancing of generation and load. In doing so, we also protected our customers from more detrimental, long-term blackouts.
All of NPPD’s plants were available to SPP during this emergency event. They performed as beautifully during the emergency as our NPPD teammates who worked around the clock to manage the safety, health and financial risk for our customers.
