2013 may june flash

Grad Photos Due June 17 See details on page 1.

Power Drive Champs Named Page 6

Critter Control Page 16

Stressed Out? Page 20

The Path of Power Page 9 See How Electricity Gets to Your Home.

Contents

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On the cover: Dan Yosten, in the basket, and Mike Zelazny, on the transformer, perform annual testing maintenance on the substation at 114th and Giles.

President’s Report

President Gary Gates covers a whirlwind of activity and accomplishment by employees, including the new customer service telephone system and the efforts by T&D crews working on two new substations.

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Strategic Plan Update

A look at the development, purpose and training around the new Accountable Management System.

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Despite cold, gloomy weather, participants and spectators shared in an impressive show of light electric vehicles built by high school students.

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FCS Signs of Progress

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The Path of Power Special Section

Fort Calhoun Station personnel continue to make progress toward safe plant restart.

An easy-to-understand look at how the OPPD network delivers power from the generating stations to businesses and homes. Also covered are outage causes and efforts to keep customers safe and in-the-know when outages occur.

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Vision A fully engaged organization that achieves competitive rates, while maintaining financial stability and high satisfaction.

Mission Provide affordable, reliable and environmentally sensitive energy services to our customers.

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Easing the Stress Factor

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People

Feeling stressed? The Best Care Employee Assistance Program can help you and your family.

Back Cover OPPD celebrates Arbor Day with Tree Promotion Program grants.

Vol. 93, No.­3, May/June 2013 Published bimonthly by the Corporate Communications Division, Flash magazine provides OPPD employees and retirees with strategic industry- and job-related news, and human-interest articles about associates and their families. Flash is one of several tools that comprise our communication strategy.

Employees and retirees can access timely OPPD news weekdays via OPPD News online.

Contributing Staff

Flash Editor..................................... Chris Cobbs Creative Director..........................Joe Comstock

Randy Alsman Tim Ash Kim Barnes Sara Biodrowski Karma Boone Joanne Brown Cec Christensen Jeannie Corey Sharon Dickman Neal Faltys Kelly Fleming Anne Forslund Natalie Ging Nancy Goddard Jill Hanover Margine Henry

To contact the Flash editor: phone............... 402-636-3757 email ............... rccobbs@oppd.com address............. OPPD, Flash, 3E/EP1

444 S. 16th St.

Omaha, NE 68102-2247

Cris Averett Jodi Baker DJ Clarke Django Greenblatt-Seay Jeff Hanson Jeni Hoffman

Reporters

Senior Management Sharon Jefferson Mike Jones Paula Lukowski Lisa Olson Althea McMickell Laurie Zagurski Terry Zank

Ed Howell Traci Hug Sharon Jefferson Debbie Jensen Terri Kelly Shelley Kendrick Melinda Kenton Suzanne Krajicek Becky Kruger Doug Mickells Jamie Moore Shawn Moore Shelly Mruz Beth Nagel Rick Perrigo Trudy Prather

Pam Price Lana Pulverenti Heather Rawlings Kathy Royal Terri Salado Peter Schiltz Jim Shipman Jammie Snyder Jennifer St. Clair Kathy Stolinski Clint Sweet Dennis Vanek Dawn Varner

W. Gary Gates.........................................President Timothy J. Burke...............................Vice President Lou Cortopassi..................................Vice President Mohamad Doghman........................Vice President Edward Easterlin...............................Vice President Jon Hansen.......................................Vice President Sherrye Hutcherson..........................Vice President

Board of Directors Fred J. Ulrich.......................Chairman of the Board Anne L. McGuire........ Vice Chairman of the Board Michael J. Cavanaugh.............................. Treasurer John K. Green..........................................Secretary Tom S. Barrett................................Board Member Tim Gay..........................................Board Member Michael A. Mines............................Board Member Del D. Weber..................................Board Member

Graduate Photos Due June 17

OPPD again will honor graduates with a special insert in the July/August Flash. Graduates must be an OPPD employee or retiree, or their spouse, child or grandchild.

If you have a graduation photo, send it to Jeni Hoffman in Corporate Marketing & Communications at 3E/EP1 by Monday, June 17. If no photo is available, we can publish the graduate’s information.

Please provide the following: • Graduate’s name, school name and location • Graduate’s relationship to employee or retiree • Related employee’s name and division or related retiree’s name • Related employee’s work address (home address for retirees) Important guidelines: • Email high-resolution digital photos to flash@oppd.com. Please send your photo in jpeg or tiff format as an attachment.

• If sending a print photo, wallet-size is preferred, with only one person per photo.

All print photos will be returned (please provide your address). If you have questions, call Jeni at 402-636-3524.

come up, without a prompt to enter a user ID and password. To get around that, he said, go to Google Play store and install the Mozilla Firefox browser. However, it’s important to note that some older Android versions do not support Firefox. “Unfortunately, it’s an Android bug. There‘s nothing we can do about it.”

For the majority of employees who will be able to take advantage of the new application, Pat said, ”It will be a big improvement. We’ve not only replaced this old application, we’ve made it much more fullbodied. This just makes it easier to be able to access information that they normally would have to access through their computer.”

Of course, not everyone has access to Generation Summary, and that will hold true with the new app, as well. If an employee believes they should have access but cannot see that tab, they should enter a request in Service Manager. Or, they can call the IT Service Desk at 402-636-3848 for further instruction.

There’s a New App for That

Smart phones go well beyond games and webbrowsing. They connect us to the outside world, and even to work. As of today, many OPPD employees will be able to connect in a different way. It’s called Mobile Home.

Software Engineering Specialist Jim Schober of Information Technology developed the application.

It replaces the old BlackBerry application PDA Home and Generation Summary, but it goes much further.

Mobile Home pulls together additional resources including the OPPD intranet, with OPPD News, and oppd.com. The latter will prove useful in accessing the Storm Outage & Information blog, among other areas.

Projects Supervisor Pat Hannan of IT said smart phone users should go to: https://m.oppd.com/ops. ”It’s going to ask you for your Windows authentication log-in,” she said. “Put in your user ID and password, and it will take you to the web page.”

Once the app is installed, use that browser to get to the Mobile Home app page.

Jim pointed out that a bug in Android versions 2.2 or 2.3 will cause an “Access Denied” message to

...And they were shipped off to a farmer's market, never to be heard from again. Do you know what the morel of the story is?

May/June 2013 Flash

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Line Items North Omaha Station Honored

OPPD’s North Omaha Station walked away with one of the industry’s top prizes at the 15th annual Electric Power Conference held in Chicago in May. The plant was named the 2013 Powder River Basin Coal Plant of the Year, Small Plant. The next issue of Flash will expand on the work employees have done there in recent years to garner such attention.

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P resident ’ s R eport

workshops. Everyone can participate in the survey by visiting oppd.com and clicking on OPPD Listens.

Employees Getting the Job Done, Despite Challenges

NC2 Completes Record “Breaker to Breaker” Run

Nebraska City Unit 2 recently completed nearly a year of safe, uninterrupted generation between planned outages.

The record run from April 25, 2012, to April 5, 2013, without a trip surpassed the previous Unit 1 Portal Accessible from Home Retirees and employees can view OPPD News, Flash record of 238 days in 2001, and may be the longest and certain benefits information on their home com- run for a fossil fuel plant in OPPD history.

“Congratulations to all involved in achieving the puters can do so through a secured-access portal. ‘breaker to breaker’ run on NC2,” said Jon Hansen, To access this portal from home, type oppdathome. vice president of Energy Production & Marketing. com (make sure to spell out the word “at”) in your “In my 30 years, this is a first for one of our coal-fired Internet browser, then follow the instructions for plants. I’d like thank all the individuals who designed, creating a user ID and password. built, operate and maintained the unit – it has been a Active employees will need to create a new user team effort.”

ID. Your network log-in will not give you access.

Adding further praise was Greg Krieser, division This portal features an easy way to reset a forgotten manager–Production Operations. “344 days without password. If you have difficulty signing on, contact a trip – that’s unheard of,” he said. “It is important the IT Service Desk at 402-636-3748 during to also recognize the culture of safety necessary to business hours. accomplish this feat.

Stakeholder Engagement “You expect to have a few problems when you Process Launched bring a new unit into full service,” he said. “However, In planning for the future, OPPD wants to know this is an outstanding testament to all the personnel what its customers think about the utility and the involved from the beginning to where we are today, district’s relationship with the community. A new including those involved in the design, construction, Stakeholder Engagement Process provides a frameoperation and maintenance. A big thank-you and work for effective and comprehensive engagement congratulations to each of them.” with stakeholders for decision-making initiatives There were a couple of close calls that posed company-wide. temporary threats to the record run. One of the “We are interested in the needs and concerns of all most significant took place last July, when explosive customers,” said OPPD Vice President Tim Burke. cleaning of the scrubber was needed because a large The proposed new Stakeholder Engagement ash accumulation was impacting the unit’s ability to Process is one of several strategic control emissions and allow for unrestricted gas flow initiatives developed by through the gas ductwork, said Roger Grable, manOPPD this year. The ager – Nebraska City Station. district has also “Because it was July, the weather was very warm, launched a new and without Fort Calhoun, the district really needed strategic plan to the power output from this unit to meet power address changes supply requirements to our customers,” he said. in the industry, as The NC2 record run did not occur by mere luck. well as changes Instead it resulted from the efforts of the staff to solve in customer expecta- problems identified during the early operation of the tions. unit. “It could have been very easy to simply repair In May, OPPD sought equipment problems,” Roger said. “Instead, our eminput via a series of community ployees worked diligently to provide solutions that set us up for long-term reliable operation of the unit.”

OPPD President Gary Gates provides an overview of significant company news at the board of directors meetings. Following are highlights of the March, April and May reports.

The past few months have been a whirlwind of activity, with employees rolling up their sleeves and putting in extra effort company-wide. And the work is paying off – both in terms of safety and productivity.

In his recent President’s Reports, OPPD President Gary Gates noted tremendous accomplishments at Nebraska City Unit 2. The plant completed nearly a year of safe, uninterrupted generation between planned outages. That includes a record breaker-to-breaker run, going from April 25, 2012, to April 5, 2013, without a trip.

The accomplishment surpassed the previous Unit 1 record of 238 days in 2001, and may be the longest fossil fuel plant run in OPPD history.

“Our number one goal is safety,” Gary said, “not just for us, but for the public.” Central Maintenance, specifically the steamfitter mechanics, exemplify that goal. As of April 29, they surpassed three years without a lost-time injury.

Gary also recognized the hard work involved with replacing the customer service telephone system in March. “This is a big, big effort for the men and women of OPPD,” he said. The technology routes more than 800,000 calls a year to appropriate personnel, improving overall performance.

Fort Calhoun Station continues to make progress, Gary said, as a number of recent inspections have shown. He recognized employees’ strong efforts to get the plant back online safely and efficiently.

Transmission & Distribution, he said, has also worked hard to keep two substation projects in Sarpy and Richardson counties on track for a June 1 completion. In fact, the Southeast Sarpy County Growth and Reliability Project was energized nearly two weeks ahead of schedule.

By Jodi Baker

Getting the Job Done at Energy Control Center It’s been hectic recently, but productive within OPPD’s T&D Operations. As shift supervisor Randy Bohnet and transmission operator Bill Schmahl (left to right) monitor the system, the entire team dealt with many large projects.

Gary acknowledged the work that T&D did to prepare for a North American Electric Corporation on-site audit at the end of March. It’s something that only happens every three years, wrapping up a 90-day audit process.

Another major effort involved work in support of Fidelity Investments’ expansion to the metro area near 114th and Cornhusker, as Gary pointed out in his President’s Report. They’ve just completed the construction of two distribution circuits.

T&D even managed to send crews to Sioux Falls, S.D., to provide mutual aid following an April snow and ice storm that left nearly 50,000 in the dark. In May, a Memorial Day storm also kept crews and support personnel busy.

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along with Angela Galloway, senior organizational development consultant, and Pat Hannan, supervisor – Projects in Information Technology. “There are a lot of pieces that fit under it. The more pieces we have in place, the better job our managers can do.”

Along with OPPD, many other companies across the country are embracing AMS. Locally, some prominent companies using it are First National Bank, UNMC and Lincoln Financial.

Managerial Leadership Practices (MLP) training is well under way, and will eventually encompass all members of the senior management team, division managers, managers and supervisors.

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Business Unusual

In this issue, we profile initiative 1a: Implement an accountable management system throughout the organization.

The key components of AMS being implemented in 2013 • Managerial Leadership • Key Accountabilities • Succession Planning • Peformance Management Implemented in 2014 • O rganizational Design/ Staffing 4 Flash May/June 2013

By the end of June, all managers and supervisors will have received Accountable Management System training, including Mike Butt, above, and Joni Davis, Dawn Petrus and Nyla Cork, opposite page.

7 Strategic Initiatives Key to Overall Plan

AMS Training Receives Strong Engagement Seven strategies make up OPPD’s Strategic Plan, and each strategy includes initiatives that will help meet these strategies. In this issue, we profile initiative 1a, to implement an Accountable Management System (AMS) throughout the organization.

Mart Sedky, division manager – Human Resources, leads the AMS team, whose executive sponsor is Sherrye Hutcherson, vice president – Corporate Services and Chief Administrative Officer, with the goal of developing a comprehensive management system across the organization.

“I believe one of the larger gifts of the Accountable Management System will be to link OPPD’s strategic and operational plans to our everyday tasks by using key accountabilities,” Sherrye said.

“In totality, the system is a comprehensive and integrated set of principles and procedures that enables organizations and the people who work in them to be fully effective. It allows the organization to structure appropriately to achieve its mission, goals, and objectives; staff with employees who are fully capable of doing work in their roles; and managerial practices such as work planning, task assignments, employee feedback, employee coaching, performance reviews, team meetings and context setting.”

Briefly, the Accountable Management System is a comprehensive system of management prin-

There are about 15 facilitators involved in the training process, which this year is focusing on Managerial Leadership. In addition, the initiative 1a group is working with all business units to ensure that key accountabilities are written for every exempt employee by the end of 2013, Jamie said.

The Succession Planning and Performance Management pieces of AMS are now under review and further communication will follow in the second half of the year.

ciples, processes and practices that are logical, science-based, integrated, flexible and trustinducing. AMS provides “tools” and a way of thinking about: • How to structure the organization to achieve its goals • Identification of work needed in the changing environment • How to staff to get the job done • Clarity in cross-functional working relationships • Effective managerial leadership practices AMS provides models, tools and “language” to use in discussing the above types of issues and in making decisions. Further, AMS gives managers a targeted analytical method to: • Understand and agree on the current work • Understand and describe work for new roles • Provide guiding principles for work design • Retain and transfer essential knowledge • Identify and evaluate talent • Determine how many managerial layers will be most effective • Develop organization structure plans for the future “AMS is like a big umbrella,” said Organizational Development Consultant Jamie Kelly, a member of the team working on initiative 1a

Initiative 3b. Develop evaluation framework for products and services, Bill Lenagh, project manager Initiative 3c. Evaluate existing products and services to ensure active offerings are highly valued by customers and profitable, project manager TBD Initiative 3d. Evaluate the company's cost structure and develop rates and Improve organizational effectiveness by cultivating charges that reflect costs, Dawn Petrus, project manager an environment of high personal performance and accountability Initiative 1a. Implement an Accountable Management System throughout Initiative 3e. Develop a common understanding of customer satisfaction based on specific parameters, Juli Comstock, project manager the organization, Mart Sedky, project manager Initiative 3f. Develop intra-company service agreements to align within Initiative 1b. Implement corporate-wide strategic workforce planning the Business Units, Jim Foley, project manager aligned with strategic direction, Kathy Perdue, project manager Rebalance and diversify OPPD’s supply and demand-side portfolio Be a cost-effective utility that maintains rates below the regional average while meeting all safety, regulatory and reliability standards Initiative 4a. Evaluate the company's current and future supply and demand-side portfolios, project manager TBD Initiative 2a. Implement value streaming and process improvement to identify cost savings opportunities, Joe Waszak, project manager Initiative 4b. Develop and implement process to continually evaluate Initiative 2b. Develop a standardized business decision model that is utilized each source of supply, project manager TBD consistently throughout the organization, Anna Davis, project manager Initiative 4c. Pursue EPA compliance, Jeff Karloff, project manager Initiative 2c. Manage workforce to increase flexibility and productivity to Initiative 4d. Identify and implement cost-effective long-term plan for decrease corporate costs, Pat Johnson, project manager OPPD nuclear operations, David Morgan, project manager Initiative 2d. Evaluate partnership and outsourcing opportunities for broad Initiative 4e. Develop strategy to optimize and continuously evaluate range of functions that would reduce OPPD’s costs, project manager TBD operating in the SPP Integrated Market, project manager TBD Initiative 2e. Identify core and non-core functions to understand value Improve OPPD’s corporate-wide decision-making process proposition and help allocate scarce resources, project manager TBD Initiative 5a. Establish a corporate planning and monitoring organization Initiative 2f. Develop OPPD operational standards for safety, regulation, to better support corporate-wide decision-making, Jamie Freeman, project reliability, and customer satisfaction that better balance cost, performance manager and risks, project manager TBD Initiative 5b. Create Corporate Governance policy and Leadership model, Initiative 2g. Develop and demonstrate organizational commitment to Doug Peterchuck, project manager nuclear, radiological, industrial, operational and customer safety, Develop a more robust external stakeholder process Rich Haug, project manager Initiative 6a. Develop a process ("issues management") to engage with Initiative 2h. Design and implement a district project management stakeholders when making decisions, Lisa Olson, project manager methodology, Fred Baker, project manager Explore partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and divestiture Expand products and services that increase value to OPPD opportunities; pursue those that enhance our competitive position and its customers Initiative 7a. Develop a systematic approach to explore future opportunInitiative 3a. Develop long-term plan for expanded DSM and energy ities as part of the strategic planning group, project manager TBD efficiency programs (Linked to 4a and 5a), project manager TBD Seven strategies make up OPPD’s Strategic Plan, and each strategy includes initiatives that will help meet these strategies. Listed below are the initiatives and project managers assigned to each. OPPD News and Flash will feature initiatives and project teams as the plan is executed.

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The Columbus Lakeview team scored first for Best Driving Team.

The top five finishers by class, with car numbers and total points Overall Championship – Standard Class Place School Car 1st Elkhorn 4 2nd Columbus Lakeview 104 3rd Bancroft-Rosalie 31 4th Raymond Central 55 5th Beatrice 8 Overall Championship – Advanced Class Place School

Car 1st Wayne 39 2nd Elkhorn 1 3rd Raymond Central 57 4th Bancroft-Rosalie 20 5th Cedar Rapids Kennedy 30

Hanah Jorgensen participated on the Douglas County West Power Drive team. She is the daughter of Kurt Jorgensen, a line technician at the Omaha Center.

Power Drive inspires a wide variety of car designs, as demonstrated by this pod-shaped racer.

Photos courtesy of Rich Fiddelke

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Power Drive Championships

Those who attended the Power Drive Finals at Werner Park on Saturday, May 4, were treated to an impressive show, albeit under the lights due to the gloomy weather.

But participants and spectators came prepared for the rain, wind and cold, wearing warm hunting clothing, parkas, hats, gloves, some even wrapped in blankets.

On display were light electric vehicles designed and built by students from high schools across Nebraska and Iowa. The overall state champions were Elkhorn in the standard class and Wayne High in the advanced class.

In all, 40 cars participated in the championships. Some schools from out-state Nebraska and parts of Iowa and Kansas opted not to attend the finals due to the uncertainty of the weather forecast. Dozens of OPPD and

Nebraska Public Power District employees and retirees ran the event.

Power Drive encourages student interest in energy- and automotive-related industries by bringing a practical focus to students' math, science and/or vocational education. They work in teams, under the direction of instructors who have been trained at Power Drive workshops. Instructors report the program boosts academics, school spirit and community interest and support. This is the 15th year for the program.

Power Drive is currently co-sponsored by Omaha Public Power District, Nebraska Public Power District, the Nebraska Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program.

Best Driving Team Columbus Lakeview

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Best Pit Crew Bancroft Rosalie

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Best Performance by a 1st Year Team Chase County 29 Ken Kitchen Best Paint/Finish Elkhorn

Chris Wright, above, and Steve Anderson, right.

Roles of Retiring Duo Applauded

Anderson, Wright Honored for Power Drive Roles Over 15 Years Students and electric vehicles weren’t the only ones in the spotlight at the Power Drive finals.

Retiree Steve Anderson and employee Chris Wright, both working their last year in their Power Drive leadership roles, also received some well-deserved recognition. Both have been involved with Power Drive since it began in 1998.

OPPD retiree Steve Anderson was honored for his leadership running the program. Students, parents and instructors applauded loudly as Jeff Hanson, manager of Communications Strategy & Technology, presented Steve with an appreciation plaque.

“It has been a real pleasure,” said Steve. “I accept this on behalf of all the instructors for the hard work they put in all year long.”

OPPD’s Chris Wright, equipment operator 1st class, also received recognition for his role in the program the past 15 years. Power Drive fans got to know Chris as the man with the checkered flag who kept drivers on task and managed the lap counter function. Chris also is retiring from his volunteer role.

Success of the program is due largely to volunteer efforts of Steve, Chris and other employees and retirees.

By Paula Lukowski

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Power Drive Scholarship Cody Slafter, Syracuse High School Paul High Scholarship Callen Hedglen, Bellevue East High School

Crew members, warmly dressed to battle the chill, prep a car.

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Special FOLDOUT Section

Signs of Progress

NRC Commissioner William D. Magwood IV joined Senior Resident Inspector John Kirkland, Plant Manager Mike Prospero and other leaders inside Fort Calhoun Station's reactor containment building during an extensive plant tour on May 2. In addition, Commissioner William Ostendorff toured FCS on May 22.

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Completion of many tasks and improvements in safety and human performance are among signs that Fort Calhoun Station is making progress toward safe plant restart.

Overview of OPPD System

Three days into an important two-week Nuclear Regulatory Commission onsite inspection in April, Fort Calhoun Station personnel completed a planned outage on the plant’s component cooling water system. (The CCW is the interface between the raw water system and the spent fuel pool.) The CCW outage went off without a hitch, and the NRC was there to see it.

FCS personnel were able to successfully focus on performing this high-risk, safetysignificant task, while maintaining a solid focus on the NRC inspection.

“In our situation, we need to be ready to do the hard stuff when the NRC is around, and in this case, we nailed it,” FCS Plant Manager Mike Prospero noted.

At press time, workers were working toward another significant task – reloading fuel into the reactor core, an important milestone on the road to restarting the plant.

After core reload, the next big milestone will be plant heat-up. This involves heating up the primary system to normal operating temperature through non-nuclear means. The primary system includes the reactor, pressurizer and steam generator. Heating up these components will enable workers to monitor and test certain equipment and systems under pressures and temperatures that replicate operating conditions.

FCS will start generating electricity once OPPD and the NRC are convinced that it is Continued on page 17

• A dditional power T hree peaking plants and renewable energy sources, including landfill-gas and wind energy

• Types of generation Coal, nuclear, oil, natural gas, landfill gas, wind • P rimary generating stations N orth Omaha Station and Nebraska City, both coal-fired, and Fort Calhoun Station, nuclearpowered

The Path of Power

Electricity makes a long, complex journey on its way to your home or business. OPPD has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure, including generating stations, transmission and distribution lines, substations, transformers and much more. Just as important are the hundreds of individuals who routinely perform challenging jobs to ensure the safe, reliable delivery of power.

We take it for granted, yet we’re lost and in the dark without it. Electricity lights up our lives. It’s the business of the Omaha Public Power District to deliver safe, reliable power. In a few words, that’s a mission statement and the value proposition.

There’s no need to survey the 780,455 people in the 13 counties spanning OPPD’s service territory about one thing they all share: dependence on electricity.

The OPPD customer base is, well, everyone. Homeowners, businesses, schools, medical facilities, farms and factories all count on a reliable source of power all day, every day. Hundreds of employees maintain OPPD’s generating stations so they can produce the electricity that travels through the power lines to customers. That’s why OPPD brands itself as “Your energy partner.”

Being a good partner means being responsive when there are problems. No matter how high the snow piles up in winter, or how hot it gets on an August afternoon, OPPD crews can be counted on to respond to an outage or do other maintenance safely and promptly.

Employees work diligently to maintain the reliability of OPPD’s generation, transmission, substation and distribution systems. For the past 11 years, OPPD’s reliability has been greater than 99.98 percent.

The following pages show the steps required to get electricity from the generating stations to the customers and tell a little about employees who help along the way.

• Miles of lines 15,500 miles of lines (enough to cross the U.S. five times)

• Amount of power produced Ability to generate 3,208.8 megawatts Fun Fact: that’s enough to power 3,200,000 hairdryers • Service territory 5,000 square miles in 13 counties • Number of customers 352,350 customers, 780,455 people Fun Fact Most of the electricity in the United States is produced using steam turbines. Coal is the most common fuel for generating electricity, says the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

In 2011, 42 percent of the country’s nearly 4 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity used coal as its source of energy.

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Getting the Power to the People Generation Like many utilities, OPPD generates much of its electricity via steam turbine power at its coal and nuclear power plants. During peak load periods, OPPD also generates electricity via combustion turbines that utilize natural gas or fuel oil.

Renewable generation (landfill gas, wind, solar) also generate electricity for our customers. At a coal-fired facility, for example, crushed coal ignites when it is blown into a boiler via streams of hot air. The boiler is a large vessel surrounded by metal tubes full of circulating water.

Through heat transfer, the burning coal powder creates super-hot steam at about 1,000 degrees. This steam pushes against the turbine blades that turn the shaft of the generator, spinning a huge magnet inside a copper wire to create electricity.

A generator’s capacity is measured in megawatts (millions of watts). OPPD’s maximum power generation is 3,208.8 megawatts.

A number of steps are involved in the delivery of electricity to the customer after it leaves the generating station. The entire process involves the electrical grid, consisting of transmission lines, distribution lines, substations and other equipment.

In the first step, electricity from the power plant generator is stepped up to transmission voltages for delivery over long distances through a nearby substation.

Fun Fact: OPPD uses coal from Wyoming; its 1.3-million ton stockpile of coal weighs as much as 185 elephants.

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Energy Control Center Energy Control Center (ECC) personnel, like Steven Hansen below, monitor the flow of power across the transmission system, substations and downtown network system. They don’t monitor homes or businesses.

The facility is a secure environment that’s both windowless and tornadoresistant.

A group of experts at the ECC keep an eye on the bulk electrical flow over the 161-kilovolt (kv) and 345-kv lines. They also monitor offsystem sales over OPPD lines. While tracking day-to-day power flow, they also respond to outages. This group, known as the transmission desk, is staffed all day, every day.

In addition to the transmission desk, there is a distribution desk that responds to trouble on the system.

The distribution desk responds to system disturbances, such as storms or when a car hits a pole.

Transmission The transmission system carries electricity from the generating station to the substation serving each sector of the OPPD network.

Transmission lines also connect to the national grid, consisting of the enormous network of utilities running from coast to coast.

High voltages are used to transmit power.

Higher voltages are important to minimize losses that result from the resistance in the power line, which gets hot as current passes through it. OPPD’s transmission system voltages are 69-kv, 161-kv and 345-kv.

It is easy to spot a transmission tower.

It is often made of metal, like steel, that is latticed and braced for stability. And it is much taller than the wooden poles that distribute lower-voltage power to smaller sections of the utility. The height afforded by the transmission

Downtown Network structures provides a margin of safety by raising the lines farther off the ground than wooden poles.

The 345-kv lines OPPD uses typically go between generating stations, like from MidAmerican Energy in Sioux City, Iowa, to North Omaha Station, or Nebraska City to Kansas City Power & Light. Think of these long, uninterruped lines as similar to interstate highways. Other high voltage lines are used to transmit power between utilities and to serve the overall load of the utility.

OPPD has 1,300 miles of transmission lines, which cost about $1 million per mile – mainly because of the cost of the towers – and that can run for many miles with no connection to a substation.

Like many major cities, downtown Omaha’s electricity is provided via an underground network system that’s more reliable than normal distribution circuits. The increased reliability stems from the redundancy engineered into the system.

Most homes are served from one circuit, and if there is an outage, the house loses power. However, downtown buildings are served by multiple circuits connected by a protector, like a giant circuit breaker. If one circuit goes out, the building stays energized because another circuit picks it up.

Downtown is divided into five separate networks, each consisting of three or four circuits. The network is more expensive than other areas of the OPPD system because it’s underground, offers redundancy and also uses cable with a plastic jacket (as opposed to uninsulated overhead wires, on which birds often perch).

If you’ve ever walked more than a block in the downtown area, you’ve likely seen the sidewalk grates, which provide ventilation for the 250 underground vaults and allow equipment in the vaults to cool.

Substations Substations serve as a gateway as power is transferred from the generator to the customer. There are three types of substations: • Step-up tranmission substations, located adjacent to a generation plant, provide high voltage for transmission of bulk power.

• Step-down transmission substations, located between high-voltage transmission lines at different voltages.

• Distribution substations serve lower voltage to industrial, commercial and residential customers.

Substations serve as critical junctions and switching points.

There are a total of 108 locations in the OPPD service territory. Along with transformers, substations have an assortment of other equipment, including switches, insulators, circuit breakers, lightning arresters and relaying and metering gear. The equipment serves many purposes – from offering system operators flexibility in routing power and enhancing reliability to protecting parts from harsh weather or other problems.

Each substation has equipment that monitors substation health. For example, if a car hits a power pole and triggers a short circuit, the relay and circuit breaker at the substation protects the system.

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The People Behind the Power

Distribution Power is distributed arround the service area on mixed-use transmission lines that can also interconnect to other utilities and power plants.

Distribution lines are located either overhead or underground. It’s more efficient and less expensive to carry power overhead, but underground distribution is common in many newer suburban areas.

Underground distribution is more pleasing aesthetically, but more costly to maintain and troubleshoot. While wind, ice, lightning and vandalism pose threats to overhead distribution, the underground system is subject to problems arising from corrosion and overheating. Underground cable is heavily insulated for protection.

Power leaves a substation and flows over 13-kv distribution lines to customers, where a transformer lowers the voltage to 480 volts for business and 120-240 volts for residences.

OPPD has about 13,000 miles of distribution lines, which average between one and four miles long and cost about $60,000 per mile. By contrast, OPPD’s transmission lines cost about $1 million per mile, mainly because of the cost of the towers.

OPPD is part of the Eastern Interconnection, shown in pink on the U.S. electric grid map.

Customers When the electricity gets to your house, it is run through a step-down transformer. The

electricity comes in at 120 to 240 volts. The electricity runs through a power meter that records how much you use, and then into the fuse box or circuit breaker in your house. From there, it flows into all the power outlets and built-in appliances.

The Grid No utility is an island.

There are several thousand utilities in the U.S. Some are privately owned. Others, like OPPD, are publicly owned. Yet they share a common goal – to deliver electricity to more than 300 million who live and work in the world’s most advanced industrial society.

Meeting the simultaneous demands of so many requires a level of interdepence and interconnectedness found in few other areas of life. To make this work, utilities and engineers have perfected a sprawling, complex network, the U.S. electric grid, comprised of generating stations and transmission lines.

The electricity transmission network is owned by regional transmission organizations associated with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

The grid of electric power lines has evolved into three large interconnected systems that move electricity around the country.

The interlinked systems now include over 3,200 electric distribution utilities, over 10,000 generating units, tens of thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, and millions of customers, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

If there isn’t enough power at a given moment, say because of a generating station outage or high demand, a utility can purchase power from another part of the grid. It’s the national grid that helps ensure a stable, reliable supply of power for hundreds of millions of Americans.

Standards have been developed by the electric power industry to ensure coordination for the linked operations.

It takes all 2,300 employees to get the job done – provide power to more than 352,000 customers... from the accountants at Energy Plaza, to the chemists at the power plants, to the customer care representatives on the phones. But following are snapshots of seven employees more closely tied to generating and transmitting the electricity, a few of the many energy partners working together at OPPD.

Jeff Richey, working line crew leader, Papillion Center Jeff’s crew maintains and constructs overhead and underground power lines. Their assignments, like those of crews at Elkhorn, are targeted for short-term work of 200 hours or less; longerterm jobs of more than a 200 hours are handled by Omaha Center.

As an example, Jeff’s team responded recently when a troubleshooter discovered an incident that appeared to involve copper theft. A pole was down in Carter Lake. “The transformer was gone, so we cleaned up the wire and winched the old pole out of the lake,” Jeff said. “We had to get another three-man team to help finish the job as we set a new pole and strung wire across the lake, so the job order wound up totaling 48 hours (two three-man crews, working a full shift).

Patty Martin, senior designer, Engineering Drawings at Fort Calhoun Station A typical day consists of working on computer aided drafting to reflect the “as-built” condition of the plant. In addition, she updates a database to record each task, and keeps herself updated on the plant status.

Like many OPPD employees, she spends eight hours a day working closely with colleagues in conditions that can be demanding at times. A quick chat can take the edge off.

“I have a close co-worker who updates me on her family and kids, and we share stories and pictures of them and our pets,” Patty said. “One of the guys next to me gets me laughing about something, or I get him laughing many times a day. That helps to make it a delightful place to work.”

That’s a pretty routine day. Also routine, but more demanding, is being on-call 24/7. “Our phones ring constantly,” Jeff said. “We can be called out any evening, whether it’s a weekend or holiday or any time.” The call can come any time – in any conditions. Consider the pre-Christmas storm last December. Jeff’s team did work around the metro area, then was dispatched to a site near Valley, where snow and ice on lines had broken 27 cross-arms, meaning 27 new poles had to be installed.

The job turned out to be so big, four contractor teams of three-men each were called out. The conditions were miserable. “The wind was blowing 50-miles-per hour, just bitter cold,” Jeff said. Crew members wore winterweight fire-retardant coveralls, with long underwear and thin wool gloves under their rubber protective gloves.

Battling Bitter Cold “When conditions are like that, your hands get so cold, they start burning,” Jeff said. “It feels like wearing dishwashing gloves and sticking your hands in a bucket of ice water.

You can’t work more than 15 minutes without getting in the truck to warm up. You have to have some dexterity to work safely.”

The devotion and dedication of OPPD working crews is very evident when they respond to a call-out at a time when a family evening was planned, or maybe a movie with a girlfriend.

“The job can be intrusive on family life,” Jeff said, with a realism born of many years on the job. “One year, I wound up working 900 hours of overtime. That was like working 15 months in a year.”

Reflecting the camaraderie that develops, crew members may participate in companysponsored golf, softball and basketball leagues.

Still, it can be a demanding life, working 24-36 hours on a storm call-out, with little sleep and a couple of hot meals through the course of the shift. “Hey, we expect to work,” Jeff said.

“And we’ve got each other’s backs always.”

Deb Nastase-Quade, electrical service designer (ESD), Louisville Deb’s role is a cross between an electrical engineer and a customer service representative.

“On some days,” she said, “I feel like a glorified punching bag.” An ESD’s talents are needed when issues are more complicated than the call center can handle. Often, such a call could involve a business customer irritated by a problem impacting the customer’s revenue.

“I’m a problem-solver,” Deb said, “so I love it when there is a challenge. I want to work closely with a customer to do troubleshooting that gets a problem resolved.”

Deb, who is married to OPPD Account Executive John Quade, has a variety of experience and training in her toolkit. After being hired as a meter technician, she studied engineering technology at the University of Nebraska – Omaha before switching her major to business management.

Ryan Mayberry, manager, Elkhorn Service Center Ryan oversees the work of line technicians, underground construction workers, contract administrators and support staff. His time is divided between planning long-term strategy and dealing with short-term concerns. “My folks have great solutions, but sometimes I have to be a tie-breaker,” Ryan says.

Balancing safety, cost, efficiency and customer satisfaction are always the goal, but that can be difficult in situations like the rerouting of electrical facilities in the 144th and Blondo corridor to accommodate road widening.

“We have seen many well-thought-out plans sour due to changes in road design, one of the other utilities beating us to a spot or poor soil conditions. To stay on schedule, we have had to make some significant adjustments, quickly,” he said.

Ryan’s job entails many responsibilities, and conflicts sometimes arise.

“The nice thing about OPPD is, once a problem is solved, we all go back to business as usual with no grudges,” he said. “Steve Fanslau and I have worked together on road projects for many years, with Steve representing the needs of the government bodies building the roads. We have butted heads many times during projects, and I’m sure that on-lookers might observe that we are bitter rivals. In truth, we work pretty well together, I think.”

Making it Her Business “When I contact a customer, it helps me to have an understanding of how a business is run, whether it’s a bank, restaurant, grain elevator or some other business,” she said. “I look at my job as helping the owner make money with the lowest overhead cost. I can look at their energy bills to reduce those costs.”

When she’s in the office, Deb is with people she regards as “my work family. I would do anything for any of these people. I can be a mother hen, too.”

Along with the people side, Deb’s technical side is impossible to miss when the talks about the focus she brings to bear on customer issues. Here’s an example: “There was an issue on their three-phase, 480-volt transformer. After troubleshooting connections, I suggested it looked like they had a loose neutral. They tightened all their connections and the problem went away.”

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Mike Godfrey, manager, Substation & System Protection Mike’s team covers construction, operation and maintenance of substations, along with transformers and protective relays at all production facilities. In more than a quarter-century with OPPD, Mike has seen plenty of challenges. During last summer’s heat wave, two large transformers failed.

“I love dealing with big events, trying to work around them, figuring it all out,” he said. One of the two transformers that failed was a mobile sub, housed in a 100-foot-long semi-trailer.

“I was part of a four-man OPPD crew that took it on a maiden voyage to Des Moines 25 years ago when a flood knocked out power downtown there,” he said.

Another challenging event was the flood of 2011, which threatened 10 substations near the Missouri River. “We worked 18 straight days of 18 hours, protecting the subs,” Mike said.

“We were successful, but that was a lot of long days.”

Todd Gosnell, shift supervisor, T&D Operations In his job, Todd supervises distribution system operators and transmission operations in their monitoring and operating the electrical grid for OPPD. In addition, he is responsible for coordinating the efforts to restore power to outage areas, and is responsible for communicating system status to upper management as situations arise.

Along with that hefty load of responsibilities, he also oversees the operation of the electrical system to ensure it is operated in a safe, economical way.

“Challenges are what we handle best,” he said. “The electrical system is always changing, so we never know what is going to happen next. When a problem arises, the team on shift will address the problem based on department procedures, training and industry knowledge.”

A typical team on shift during a normal work day includes three system operators, one transmission operator, one troubleshooter clerk, two supervisors and a manager. At night and on weekends, the working team includes one system operator, one transmission operator and one troubleshooter clerk.

“The operations department is like a family,” Todd said. “We help each other out when the need arises.

The nature of the work is either feast or famine. When it’s busy, we juggle a lot of pieces and must be intensely focused. When it’s slow, a little joking around can occur.

“Since the operators are on shift work, they may not see each other for months at a time. But they do get together outside of work to help each other or just hang out.”

Mark Patach, first class machinist, Central Maintenance From there he drives a company van to Mark is one of hundreds of unsung, highly his work assignment, which could be skilled professionals whose work is largely invisany of the major generating plants. If the ible to the public, but still essential to getting work assignment is at Nebraska City, he electricity to every customer. Over the past quarter winds up commuting 77 miles total each century, he has faced some potentially dangerous way, home to North Omaha to Nebraska jobs, ranging from work on nuclear reactors, reacCity. He gets home tor cooling pumps, coal mills, coal feeders, boiler at 8 a.m. and sleeps until 3:30. feed pumps and fans.

The nature of the work faced by machinists, The most dangerous task for him – and it’s hapelectricians, and other craftsmen results in unusupened a few times – occurs when there is a steam ally close bonding. leak under a turbine at North Omaha Station.

“We put our lives in each other’s hands every The steam is invisible and extremely hazardous. day,” Mark said. “Everybody knows everybody.

Mark has had to carefully detect the leak, using a There are 17 of us in Central Maintenance, and I broomstick with a rag tied on the end. The leak know all the wives, children and parents. There shows itself when super-heated steam at 1,100 are no secrets.” degrees blows the rag off the end of the stick.

The last few years have been out of the norm as Once the leak is located, Mark notes the spot on OPPD has had to deal with the flood of 2011 and the steam pipe. The equipment is momentarily the extended outage at FCS. shut down and the leak is repaired.

“It’s been very challenging, but also a cool thing Managing Shift Work to see,” he said. “For instance, we were doing sandMark sometimes works 12-hour night shifts out bagging at FCS and Nebraska City, and everybody of Central Maintenance, based at North Omaha was out there, executives, secretaries, everybody Station. His daily routine rarely varies. He gets up working to protect our facilities. I will look back on at 3:30 p.m., leaves home at 4:10, drives his vehithis someday and be very proud of it.” cle to North Omaha, and arrives at 4:30.

Special Section

By Chris Cobbs

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Tracking and Tackling Outage Causes Did you know 18 percent of OPPD’s power outages in 2012 were caused by critters? Yes, squirrels, raccoons, birds, rabbits, bats, snakes and other creatures were behind 1,083 of the total 5,970 outages last year.

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Nutty problems attributed partly to critters just doing their things.

Even with the best maintenance programs, power outages are a fact of life in the electric utility industry.

Routine performance-based maintenance helps keep the transmission and distribution systems in good operating condition, but when something starts showing signs of weakness, OPPD employees do their own kind of detective work to minimize similar problems in the future. OPPD tracks outage causes because these findings can lead to future solutions.

Did you know 18 percent of OPPD’s power outages in 2012 were caused by critters? Yes, squirrels, raccoons, birds, rabbits, bats, snakes and other creatures were behind 1,083 of the total 5,970 outages last year.

The number of these critter outages has dropped in recent years, thanks largely to creature-guarding devices that we install on the equipment, according to Rick Kalina, manager of System Operations.

How do these animals cause outages? A squirrel’s tail may hit a wire, causing a short and blowing a fuse. Hawks and other birds leave their prey atop energized equipment. Snakes get into padmount equipment. Rabbits and rodents chew through underground cable.

When critters interfere with equipment, they can cause a momentary outage, or worse. Creature guards have proven effective.

Fish Stories The OPPD employee who found the critter culprit on a capacitor at

2012 Outages by Cause Weather 22%

Creature 18%

Equipment 19% Unknown 27%

Human 3% Trees 10% Vehicle 1%

94th & F streets probably didn’t believe his eyes: a fish. Apparently, a bird dropped its catch-ofthe-day there, leading to temporary problems for nearby industrial customers.

Another fishy story involves great blue herons, who prefer to nest in tall trees – or tall transmission structures, as OPPD personnel discovered. A transmission line by the Platte River kept tripping, which initial- Rick Kalina ly stumped OPPD personnel. After a little more detective work and a look through some binoculars, they discovered the birds were nesting in the transmission structures and their droppings on electrical insulators were causing problems.

“We try to get ahead of the problem,” said Rick. “There are a lot of causes, but we can take measures to minimize similar problems in the future.”

In addition to creatures, outage causes include designations such as weather, equipment, trees, vehicle, human and unknown.

Weather-Related Windy days provide evidence of areas where tree trimming is needed, said Rick.

“When we start seeing problems with trees contacting power lines, we send Forestry to that area. We continually work to trim areas proactively to avoid this type of outage."

There’s not much you can do to protect against 70-mile-per-hour winds, ice or heavy

blankets of snow that accompany many Midwestern blizzards, according to Rick. This type of weather brings down trees, which can take down power lines with them. In 2012, 10 percent of the outages were attributed to trees.

A routine tree trimming program and a program to educate customers about planting the right trees around power lines have helped keep the tree-related outages down.

In 2012, weather caused 22 percent of the outages. February and December brought storms with high winds and heavy snow.

OPPD crews cleaned up the latter mess just in time for the Christmas holiday. A series of thunderstorms during the summer also played havoc with the system, even interrupt-

ing Father’s Day. Sustained “Our office handles the day-to-day management of the system,” Rick said.

“But when a big storm hits, we call in our storm team to help coordinate the resources in a centralized area. It has proven very effective.”

The remainder of 2012 outages were caused by equipment failures (19%), human (3%), vehicle (1%) and unknown (27%).

By Paula Lukowski

Proactive Effort Concentrates on Faults and Fixes on System OPPD has a group tasked with tracking reliability-related events on the system, looking for proactive measures to prevent future power interruptions and equipment damage, according to Rick Kalina.

“Asset Management & Maintenance tracks faults that occur during the year,” Rick said. “When they get two or three failures at a location, they investigate and may recommend crews replace cable before it leads to bigger problems.”

The T&D system is a sprawling geographic network of electrical conductors and equipment that, over time, can behave in complex ways, according to Mike Wilson, manager of Asset Management & Maintenance.

Mike’s team proactively monitors the physical condition of the T&D system and tracks performance by monitoring how many customers have very long outages, how many customers have three or more sustained outages, and how many customers experience momentary outages on a circuit over various periods of time.

Mike’s team also frequently works on specific issues with customers while diagnosing power quality/reliability issues, looking for causes and opportunities to reduce the chance of an outage. His team uses sophisticated equipment and expertise to determine if there is something that needs to be addressed on our side of the meter (line side) or if the customer has something to investigate on their side of the meter (load side).

“Ultimately, the goal is to determine where improvement investments should be made to maintain good system performance at the lowest possible cost for our customer-owners,” said Mike.

Outages by Cause

“When we start seeing problems with trees contacting power lines, we send Forestry to that area.

We continually work to trim areas proactively to avoid this type of outage."

– Rick Kalina Manager of System Operation.

From the left, Patrick Hutchinson, Mike Wilson and Don Mitchell review a circuit map. The Asset Management & Maintenance team monitors the condition of the T&D system.

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Signs of Progress Continued from page 8

safe to do so, and that the plant, processes and people onsite are ready to operate safely and effectively.

Many of the signs of positive progress at FCS tie directly to three of Fort Calhoun Station’s sitewide priorities.

Priority 1: Safety

Storms & Outages: Communication is Key Here’s how OPPD works to keep customers informed.

When strong winds, heavy rains or lightning knock out power to households or businesses, it creates confusion and frustration. Customers fumbling around in the dark are often at a loss – many without battery-powered, working computers and some without phone service. It’s the perfect storm for a communications meltdown.

Omaha Public Power District’s Corporate Marketing & Communications team works hard in advance, during and after an event to help keep customers safe and in-the-know. Social media plays an increasingly important role. Information is relayed to customers through the “Omaha Public Power District” Facebook page and to Twitter followers @OPPDCares and @OPPDStorm.

In the event of an outage, our media specialists refer reporters and news editors to those outlets, as well as to the OPPD storm blog, accessible through oppd.com and free OPPDConnect iPhone and Android smart phone applications. Whether on the blog or our home page, customers can access an outage map to see the location and number of customers impacted. When they search for our website via smartphones, they’re automatically redirected to the mobile version, m.oppd.com.

Still, many customers are unable or unwilling to turn to technology. They often turn to the media instead, which is why we work hard to keep those outlets updated during an outage. However, in some cases, news organizations will contact OPPD representatives for information before an outage has even been reported. At this time, OPPD is unable to identify individual outages without a customer call. As a result, we need our customers to call 1-800-554-6773 or go online to report problems as soon as possible. Working together, we can weather any storm that comes our way.

By Jodi Baker 18 Flash May/June 2013

As shown on the chart at right, from January 2012 to March 2013, FCS performance in industrial safety rose from dead-last to tied for first place among all U.S. nuclear power plants.

In addition to industrial safety, FCS – like all U.S. nuclear plants – focuses on nuclear safety, which involves safely managing this special and unique technology.

During the March 27 NRC public meeting with OPPD in downtown Omaha, FCS Site Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Lou Cortopassi stated, “We have made significant progress in reestablishing a strong nuclear safety culture at Fort Calhoun Station.”

An FCS restart checklist item, safety culture is defined by Lou as, “Our values and behaviors as an organization – modeled by our leaders and internalized by all of our staff – serve to make nuclear safety our top priority in all we do.”

Priority 2: Human Performance

Above, a map on oppd.com shows outage disturbances at any given time in OPPD’s service area. It can be found on oppd.com on the “Emergency, Storm, Outage, Safety” tab.

As shown on the chart bottom right, from January 2012 to March 2013, FCS performance in reducing human errors (human performance) rose from the fourth quartile to the second quartile among U.S. nuclear plants. This also represents a significant improvement.

During the March 27 public meeting, Mike Prospero noted that these results in safety and human performance are clear indicators that we have the “right stuff,” which includes setting clear expectations, doing thorough planning, maintaining discipline in performing our tasks, and exercising accountability for our actions.

“These behaviors will enable us to safely restart Fort Calhoun Station and return the plant to sustained excellent performance,” Mike emphasized.

Priority 3: Fix the Plant

Much of the physical work that must be done before restart has been completed. Workers are

currently wrapping up replacement of the feed-throughs for the FCS containment building electrical penetrations, which transmit electrical signals from outside containment to equipment inside.

The work on containment penetrations is representative of a renewed commitment to safe, effective plant operations for the long run. FCS found that a number of these penetrations used Teflon® seals and insulation materials in the feed-throughs.

Teflon can degrade following exposure to very high levels of radiation, which could allow leakage from inside containment in the event of an accident.

Although extensive testing showed the outer seal on the penetrations did not leak during simulated post-accident conditions, OPPD decided to replace these feed-throughs to ensure robust safety performance of containment during future operation. (To see a video on this topic, enter http://vimeo.com/oppdnews/ review/62426974/8073f227de.)

Workers replace the feed-throughs for the FCS containment building electrical penetrations.

The Road Ahead

The major remaining steps prior to FCS restart are: • FCS reloads fuel into the reactor core • NRC conducts Operational Readiness Assessment • OPPD resolves Confirmatory Action Letter/Restart Checklist items • FCS operators confirm plant ready for start-up • Chief Nuclear Officer Lou Cortopassi submits restart report to NRC • NRC provides approval to restart

After Fort Calhoun Station being offline for two years, employees continue to focus on controlling what they can control, and moving past one milestone at a time as they drive toward safe plant restart.

By Terry Zank May/June 2013 Flash

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Easing the Stress Factor

According to Angela, stress is one of those things where “no one size fits all.”

“One of the key things of which we at OPPD have to be aware, and to deliver on, is different tools and different resources for different people to help them cope with stress.”

Free Help Available

A cornerstone for OPPD, says Angela, is the Best Care Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The service is free to full-time employees and their families and has a lot to offer.

Angela notes that often people think EAP is just for those who feel they need a great deal of therapy or counseling. She says that is not the case. She explains that ideally the program is designed to assist those who need just a little bit of help managing change and things going on in their life, be it at work or at home.

However, Best Care EAP is not only aimed at single individuals. It can also be accessed by managers and supervisors looking to help a number of their employees.

“You have a work group that you know has had to take on a lot of work with less resources, and you know it’s weighing on some people but you’re not quite sure how to help them through that. You, as a supervisor or manager, can reach out to Best Care EAP and say, ‘Hey, here’s what I am seeing going on. I’m not sure how to help these people. What can I do?’”

Other Resources

The Best Care Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is free to full-time employees and their families, and has a lot to offer.

20 Flash May/June 2013

A

sk almost anyone to describe events or issues that have seemed to hang over OPPD for the last two years and one word almost always comes up. That word is “challenging.”

The litany of occurrences is all too familiar to most employees, starting with the flood of 2011 and its aftermath. However, things did not end there. Case in point, employees at Fort Calhoun Station continue working round-the-clock to complete corrective actions to satisfy the NRC and restart the plant. The District has also had to fight the never-ending battle of storms and weather-related outages that often seem to follow. Customer demand and expectations seem to just keep increasing, as does the cost of simply doing business. At the same time, as a com-

pany, we have had to grapple with change. It is no longer business as usual in an industry that can only be described as “evolving.”

For some individuals, you can add another word to describe things in recent months, especially if you toss in issues not necessarily work-related. At one time or another, many of us have experienced issues at home, maybe financial issues or even health issues. Add that to the mix and the other word you could use to describe things is “stressful.”

“It is amazing to watch how different things impact different people. You could put two individuals in the exact same situation at work or at home, and one feels very stressed out; the other one feels very energized,” says Angela Siebert, OPPD wellness specialist.

Angela says that is definitely a component of Best Care EAP they would like to see utilized more.

Additional offerings from the OPPD Wellness Area include a resource library. The library includes books on stress and management, as well as CDs and DVDs. These suggest different ways to practice stress management and dif-

ferent stress-management techniques. Angela, who is certified as a holistic stress management instructor, adds workshops are also available.

These days, with so many things going on, a key question becomes how does an individual know when he or she is becoming stressed out or nearing a point when that employee needs a little help? Angela says the real challenge is not whether we recognize that possibility, but recognizing it soon enough.

“We tend to only recognize stress once it’s caused some pretty uncomfortable circumstances in our lives.”

She says warning signs could include suddenly not getting along with our co-workers, not getting along with our spouses or friends, or suddenly experiencing health problems.

“We would love to have people recognize the impact stress may be having sooner. I think what happens, though, when we get into an environment like we are now, it becomes normal or seems normal.”

Some Stress is Good

Angela notes that it is important to realize all stress is not bad; and to recognize that stress is a physiological process that our bodies go through that needs to be there. She explains that it can act as a catalyst that prompts us to do something we need to do.

“We’ve kind of demonized stress. However, it serves a purpose for us. It’s just a matter of, are we living in that place all the time? Are we living there a little too much? Are we using our feelings in a productive way?”

Angela says OPPD feels the well-being of employees, both physically and emotionally, is important to the overall success of the company. That means having the tools and resources available for employees to access when they feel like they need them.

“I think, as an organization, that we’re doing everything that we can to be proactive about change, to communicate with our people, and to have those things in place that help lessen stress; but ultimately at the end of the day, it’s going to be the individual’s responsibility to tap into what is there for them.”

By Mike Jones

Best Care Employee Assistance Program To make an appointment, call 402-354-8000 or 1-800-666-8606 Counselors are available: M - Th 8 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Emergency Services are available after hours.

6 Strategies for Stress Management 1. Avoid unnecessary stress • Learn how to say “no” • Avoid people who stress you out • Take control of your environment • Avoid hot-button topics • Pare down your to-do list 2. Alter the situation • Express your feelings instead of bottling them up • Be willing to compromise • Be more assertive • Manage your time better 3. Adapt to the stressor • Reframe problems • Look at the big picture • Adjust your standards • Focus on the positive 4. Accept things you can’t change • Don’t control the uncontrollable • Look for the upside • Share your feelings • Learn to forgive 5. Make time for fun, relaxation • Set aside relaxation time • Connect with others • Do something you enjoy daily • Keep your sense of humor 6. Adopt a healthy lifestyle • Exercise regularly • Eat a healthy diet • Reduce caffeine and sugar • Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, drugs • Get enough sleep helpguide.org

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People May/June Service Anniversaries 40 Years April Retirements James Gleason, Safety & Technical Training

30 Years

Pierce Carpenter, Information Technology Russell Gray, Customer Sales & Service Kristene Kastens, Production Operations Rebecca Kruger, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations Robin Linhart, Customer Service Operations

25 Years

Scott Andersen, Information Technology Ronald Bowhay, Facilities & Materials Management George Grant, Substation Operations Sam Hardy, Corporate Marketing & Communications James Moore, T&D Operations Leslie Olson, T&D Operations

20 Years

Ron Livermore, Nuclear Engineering

15 Years

Todd Gosnell, T&D Operations Heath Heisterkamp, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations Jerome Kruse, T&D Operations Paul Latoza, T&D Operations Barry McEwin, T&D Operations Jerry Miles, Production Operations Shane Stock, Facilities & Materials Management Patrick Wolf, T&D Operations

10 Years

John Clark, Nuclear Assessments Diane Eriksen, Information Technology Richard Gass, Nuclear Perf. Improvement & Support Elizabeth Hoyle, Customer Service Operations Deanna Huff, Customer Service Operations Patricia Kult, T&D Operations Ashley Liston, Human Resources Mary Minton, Customer Service Operations Christine Nath, T&D Operations William Rathjen, Production Operations Shonnie Wilson, Information Technology

5 Years

Aaron Ashlock, Production Operations Shawna Bennett, Production Operations Sara Biodrowski, Customer Service Operations Jay Brue, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations Chris Cobbs, Corporate Marketing & Communications Jeremy Davis, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations Michael Iwanski, T&D Operations Ryan Layman, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations James Ottens, Customer Service Operations John St. Clair, Nuclear Perf. Improvement & Support Robert Skradski, Customer Service Operations Scott White, Facilities & Materials Management John Wichman, Production Engineering & Technical Support Matt Williams, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations

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Dennis Campbell, Steamfitter Mechanic, Production Operations, retired April 1 with 22 years of service. Dennis started with OPPD in March 1991 as a laborer.

Santos Castaneda, Desktop Integrated Services Specialist, Information Technology, retired April 1 with 30 years of service. Santos joined OPPD in January 1983 as an operator.

Johnny Cummings, Supervisor-Nuclear Security Operations, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support, retired April 1 with 24 years of service. Johnny began his OPPD career in December 1989 as a security guard.

Deaths Jean Sayles-Jacobson, Supervisor-Facilities Services-Contracts, Facilities & Materials Management, retired April 1 with 28 years of service. Jean began her OPPD career in February 1985 as an interior planning specialist.

Gary Smith, Unit Operator, Production Operations, retired April 1 with 29 years of service.

Gary joined OPPD in February 1984 as a helper.

Ronald Undajon, Supervisor-Security Compliance, Nuclear Performance Improvement & Support, retired April 1 with 28 years of service. Ron started with OPPD in January 1985 as a security guard.

Douglas Glissman, Working Crew Leader-Electrical Maintenance, Production Operations, retired April 1 with 35 years of service.

Doug started with OPPD in January 1978 as a helper.

Stephen Honig, Account Executive, Customer Sales & Service, retired April 1 with 15 years of service. Steve began his OPPD career in January 1998 as an account executive.

Thomas Jamieson, Work Week Manager, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations, retired April 1 with 29 years of service. Tom joined OPPD in August 1984 as chemical and radiation protection technician.

David Ried, Division Manager of Energy Marketing & Trading, retired April 1 with 25 years of service. David joined OPPD in November 1988 as a senior engineer.

Billie White, Senior Designer, T&D Operations, retired April 1 with 36 years of service. Billie started with OPPD in July 1977 as a junior engineering aide.

May Retirement Patricia Rumery, Crew Leader Stores-Nebraska City Station, Facilities & Materials Management, retired May 1 with 32 years of service.

Pat joined OPPD in November 1981 as a utility person.

Sympathies Jarod Anderson, Substation Operations, for the death his grandfather, Jerome Anderson Ryan Anderson, Substation Operations, for the death of his father, Larry Zach Baber, Substation Operations, for the loss of his grandfather, Bob Baber, retiree Steve Bley, Production Engineering & Technical Support, for the death of his grandmother Tom Burton, Production Engineering & Technical Support, for the death of his mother Jim Dortch, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations, for the death of his father, John Brian Faust, T&D Operations, for the death of his father-in-law, Alton Gottwald Mike Gulbrandson, Production Operations, for the death of his son, Jason Jill Hanover, Information Technology, and Joe Hanover, T&D Operations, for the death of Joe’s grandmother, Patricia Kallquist

Ron Kimes, retiree, for the death of his father, Gordon Dan Kloock, retiree, for the death of his mother, Dorothy Sue Perkins, Corporate Accounting, for the death of her mother, Verna Kilgarin Chris Powell, retiree, for the death of her mother, Georgia Giese Bill Wedgewood, Fort Calhoun Station Plant Operations, for the death of his father, Ralph

High-Voltage Club The March and April meetings were well attended… Attendees celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by singing Irish songs... Kathy Lindner recently traveled to Houston, Texas, to visit her sister and brother in-law. They took a Royal Caribbean Cruise which departed from Galveston, Texas. They visited Cozumel, the Grand Caymans and Jamaica. Kathy reported they had a great time… The Club extends sympathy to the family of Bob Adamson on his sudden passing. In March, JoAnn and Bob Adamson traveled to Naperville, Illinois, to visit their son and his family for Easter...

Marilyn and Tom Urwin vacationed in Florida in February. They enjoyed the warm sun and sand at Carrabelle. Tom had great time fishing in the Gulf… Dawn and Dick Varner recently traveled to Fort Myers, Florida, to attend Dick’s Tarkio, Missouri, college football team reunion…Theo and Don Jones recently returned from a three-week tour of South America. They started in Peru and then went to Chili, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. The highlights were Machu Picchu in Peru and the Iguassu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Both sites were spectacular and worth the trip… the High-Voltage Club is open to all retirees and meets the third Tuesday of each month. Please contact Carl Martens at (402) 392-2224 or Kathy Lindner at (402) 332-2803 if you are interested in joining.

– Sharon Dickman

Services were held May 6 for Bob Adamson, 86 (shown here in a 1988 photo). Bob joined OPPD in June 1948 and retired with 40 years of service as a senior clerk at the Omaha Center. Bob served in World War II in the Pacific. He is survived by his wife JoAnn; children, Ron (Libby), Mark (Julie) and Robin; grandchildren, Callie, Catie, Anne, Jesse, Will, Sarah, Susie, Sandy, Allison, Josh and Becky; great-grandchildren, Quinton, Kaia, Ava and Tyson; sister, Dorothy; brothers, Carl and Richard.

Services were held March 27 for Bob Baber, 89 (shown here in a 1985 photo). Bob started with OPPD in March 1947 as a utility man and retired with 38 years of service in July 1985 as an equipment operator. Bob served in World War II in Europe and the Pacific. He is survived by his wife, Loretta; daughters, Joyce (Gus) Johnson, Judy (Clark) Dietzschold, Janice (Larry) Cooklin, Janel (Dan) Pluta and Jeanne; sons, Gary (Jeanette), Larry (Sue); 16 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; brother, William, and many nieces and nephews.

Services were held April 7 for Art Langer, 84 (shown here in a 1989 photo). Art joined OPPD in 1948 as a utility worker and retired with 41 years of service in January 1990 as a crew leader-substation construction. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; children, Jeannie (Chuck) Greco, Daniel (Terry) Langer, Mary Beth (Dave) Dover, Julie (Bill) Watsabaugh; 14 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; sisters, Helen Smith and Bea Burns; brothers, Gene, Jack and Urban.

Services were held March 1 for James Lea, 89 (shown here in a 1989 photo).

James started with OPPD in August 1946 as a utility man and retired with 43 years of service in March 1989 as foreman of Substation Construction in T&D Operations. He served with the U. S.

Navy in World War II and in the Korean War. James was preceded in death by his wife, Mabel; son, James, Jr.; survived by daughters, Kathryn Coder and Colleen Cauley; grandchildren, Elizabeth Coder, Nicole LaFoe, Joseph Gadbois and Michaela Cauley; 3 greatgrandchildren; brother, Fred; sisters, Elizabeth Hughart and Janice Pirruccello.

Mark Warren Honored

Mark Warren, right, working machinist leader at North Omaha Station, recently was presented the Power Star Award for his leadership role in an employee safety program, North Omaha Workers Against Risks (NOWAR).

The award was presented by Dave Wetrosky, manager – North Omaha Station.

Mark was nominated for the award by Greg Krieser, division manager – Production Operations. “Mark’s leadership role far exceeded expectations,” Greg said. “He led more than just his area or department. As chairperson of NOWAR, he played a major role in launching and establishing the safety program and bringing the division with him.”

Devin Meisinger Named NEDA Professional of the Year

Senior Economic Development Coordinator Devin Meisinger has been honored with the 2013 Professional of the Year award.

Devin received the award from the Nebraska Economic Developers Association (NEDA) during the group’s spring conference in Kearney. The honor is bestowed to members of the organization every year in Community and Service Provider categories. The criteria by which winners are judged include their roles in: job/investment creation in the community, innovation of new programs or approaches, organizational effectiveness and leadership – both in the profession and in NEDA.

May/June 2013 Flash

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Presorted Standard US Postage Paid Omaha NE permit no. 97

444 South 16th Street Mall Omaha, Nebraska 68102-2247 Address Service Requested

Lauritzen Gardens, NonProfit Groups Get Trees

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OPPD Forester Andrew Clark helps school children plant a tree at Lauritzen Gardens as part of the tree grant awarding ceremony. Looking on are OPPD Foresters David Walsh and Mike Norris.

ommunity groups throughout southeast Nebraska added some greenery to their landscapes this spring with help from the Omaha Public Power District’s Tree Promotion Program.

During an Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony at Lauritzen Gardens on April 26, OPPD awarded grants for 878 trees and shrubs in the amount of $29,290. The grants went to 22 nonprofit groups in southeast Nebraska including schools, neighborhood organizations, city parks and more.

“The Tree Promotion Program helps beautify the landscape, and it also benefits the environment,” said OPPD Vice President Mo Doghman. “Another key component is education on the proper selection and placement of trees,” he added.

“We want our customers to know the types of trees and shrubs that work well near power lines and other electrical equipment, versus those that don’t. Trees that grow too tall can impact reliability of electric service, and they may pose safety concerns to our employees and the public.”

Nearly 113,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in southeast Nebraska since the program began in 1990.

By Jodi Baker