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Public Power: Powering Nebraska

Public Power: Powering Nebraska
October 13, 2023

Every football player knows that to win a game, they must first learn basic blocking and tackling. Then, they must execute it successfully, again and again.

The same concept applies to public power. Our blocking and tackling is providing customers with electricity that is affordable, reliable, resilient and sustainable. As we celebrate Public Power Month, we do so with the knowledge that NPPD and our entirely public power state are excelling, thanks largely to our predecessors and the standards they set for our industry. In fact, just this spring in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2023 Best States rankings, Nebraska was named first in power grid reliability, fifth in lowest electricity price, and our state’s overall energy sector was ranked sixth.

Our teammates are skilled and well-qualified to tackle any challenges that lie ahead in our industry. They know how to keep the lights on, control costs, and operate our power plants safely and efficiently. Their unwavering focus on providing outstanding customer service is unparalleled.

I find great satisfaction in being part of the NPPD team not just because of our teammates’ capable hands, but because of their willingness to respect our past while exploring how we can achieve more for our customers in the future.  We work to provide Nebraskans with a better quality of life so their days are easier, more comfortable and more fulfilling. That’s the true power we provide, and that’s why we are so engaged with the communities we serve, because in them live the friends, neighbors and families we know and cherish.

Public power has been for the people since its inception and while it's humbling to see the extent of what was accomplished back then, it’s also inspiring because the intention and purpose remain in our present-day work. What we do matters, and how we do it matters even more.

Teammates’ ability to expertly block and tackle gives us room now to make the hard plays as we develop exciting solutions to meet evolving customer needs in the future. Without compromising our fundamentals, we’re committed to remaining on the leading edge as we explore the latest advances in energy generation while maintaining the diversity of our generation mix. We are actively exploring opportunities to partner with some of the state’s largest industries – agriculture and manufacturing – as well as our customer communities, to bring innovative generation solutions to the state that can lower carbon emissions while maintaining reliability and affordability.  

Though the decisions we are making are complex, our standing as industry leaders in both public and private energy sectors will help us successfully meet our strategic goals as we also focus on supporting the rapidly growing energy and economic development needs of our customer communities.  

While there are 2,000 other public power systems in the nation who serve 49 million customers and who share these values, Nebraska is the only 100% public power state in the country.  I believe our state has a few things no one else does. We have public power utilities that deeply care about the towns, businesses and personal enterprises they energize. We have workers who support our vision and mission with integrity and transparency. And, we have a public who is open to the path we are paving and who recognizes the value of our work.

I could speak at length of all the benefits public power affords customers in the state, but instead, I encourage you to visit publicpowered.com to see a great visual breakdown of these benefits. From local control and having a voice in the decisions we make to bolstering economic development and being good stewards of the environment, public power is solely focused on putting our customers first.

This is what will continue to set NPPD and public power in the state apart, and we will continue to draw from this proven playbook on behalf of all Nebraskans.

Thank you for allowing us the ability to serve you!

In our gratitude, please follow us on Facebook – this month, you could win a set of tickets to the Public Power Game (Nebraska vs. Purdue) on Oct. 28, and we’ll also be giving away public power T-shirts to those engaging with our weekly Public Power Month posts!

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