Priority: Leading the Clean Energy Transition

It’s pretty remarkable how quickly the utility industry is changing, and the pace of change is only going to hasten. We have significant projects currently underway. They include Power with Purpose, a major new transmission project in Sarpy County, decommissioning a nuclear plant, and our first battery storage pilot…to name a few!

But the work ahead is even more significant. The aforementioned, already-underway projects will continue for the next several years, and new projects will unfold as well. Here’s just a sampling:

• Following through on the commitment to transition the North Omaha Station from coal to natural gas

• Examining and improving our rate structure so as to maintain affordability while positioning rates to be future focused

• Planning for and beginning the deployment of advanced (smart) metering technology

• Learning from and potentially expanding the district’s pilot program aimed at decreasing the number of customer-owners experiencing an energy burden

• Maintaining OPPD’s status as an employer of choice and investing in our people so they are fully prepared and equipped to succeed in the future

• Continued upgrades to the district’s grid distribution and management system to maintain good reliability and resiliency

• Exploring ways to become a digitally-driven organization, which includes deploying technologies to seamlessly interact with customer-owners on their terms in the ways that they prefer

• Pursuing policies, technologies, and rate structures to catalyze the adoption of decentralized electricity generation (e.g., customer-owned solar and batteries) and electric vehicles

• Developing and deploying more programs to help customer-owners achieve greater energy efficiency

• Continued, vigilant mitigation of cybersecurity risks

• Playing a meaningful role in our service territory’s efforts to decarbonize and in the community’s exceptional economic development efforts

• Always keeping a focused eye on safety

• Continued expansion of utility-scale clean energy and exploring utility-scale batteries with an eye toward accelerating the district’s reduction of greenhouse gasses…all while maintaining affordability, reliability and resiliency!

The future utility looks dramatically different than it does today. It’s driven by its customer-owners. Demand is significantly higher as communities electrify. Generation is decentralized with, as an example, solar on nearly every rooftop and batteries in the basement. Technology is at the core of the system. And rates could change each day - or perhaps every hour - depending upon how much electricity is available.

OPPD is poised to lead this transition. But it’s going to require all of the district - the board, senior leaders, labor, key vendors, and customer-owners - to be involved and engaged in the process.