A diverse fuel mix protects electric companies and consumers from contingencies, such as fuel unavailability, price fluctuations and changes in regulatory practices. OPPD uses primarily coal and nuclear fuel, with natural gas, oil, landfill gas and wind rounding out the mix. OPPD’s interest in renewable energy has grown in recent years due to environmental advantages and concerns, as well as the prospect of regulatory actions that could impact pricing on other fuels. In 2009, OPPD established a goal of having 10 percent of our total energy provided in the form of renewables by 2020. Building on OPPD’s current wind generation, the utility is planning to purchase 100 megawatts more by the end of 2011. OPPD continues to use natural gas and oil at its combustion turbine peaking units, often selling excess generation at a profit, offsetting costs for our customer-owners. Maintaining generating units and transmission and distribution systems requires commitment from a skilled workforce. Routinely. Continually. That effort took to the sky in 2009 as workers performed high-line maintenance on more than 1,100 transmission towers stretching across Nebraska from the Kansas-Missouri border to the Iowa border. Helicopters transported the crews as they replaced deteriorating wooden knee braces with steel ones. The braces support the cross-arms on the structures, which carry up to 345,000 volts of electricity. The airlift allowed the work to be done quickly and efficiently, while the lines were energized.
Specially trained contractors replaced equipment on OPPD transmission towers. A helicopter transported the workers from tower to tower.
System reliability. Cost-efficiently. That’s how we get power to our people.
O R E MYourOEnergySPartnerT 2009 OPPD Annual Report
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