OPPD updates Douglas County on new plants, transmission projects and smart‑meter rollout

Representatives of the Omaha Public Power District told the Douglas County Board of Commissioners on July 29 that OPPD is adding dispatchable and renewable generation and will begin a multi‑year smart‑meter replacement program in the region.

Chris Meeks, government and community relations strategist for OPPD, said the utility recently placed Turtle Creek Station into service; the facility includes two combustion turbines that together generate about 450 megawatts and are designed as ‘‘peaking’’ units that can reach full output quickly. Meeks also described progress at Standing Bear Lake Station and construction at Cass County Station and said OPPD has added the Platte View Solar Array to its portfolio.

‘‘Turtle Creek Station’s two combustion turbines generate 450 megawatts of energy,’' Meeks said. ‘‘This is the first combustion turbine of this size that has come online in the Southwest Power Pool since 2017.’'

OPPD also described an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) initiative to replace aging residential meters with two‑way ‘‘smart’’ meters. The utility plans a soft launch this fall covering approximately 10,000 meters (including some in Douglas County) followed by a multi‑year rollout. Meeks said residential meters in soft‑launch areas will transmit basic usage data every four hours and send an automated ‘‘last breath’’ outage signal to OPPD, allowing the utility to detect outages without customer calls.

OPPD said residential installations will typically take about 10–15 minutes and contractors will be identified on site; Allegiant will perform most residential installs while OPPD will handle commercial meters. OPPD staff said customers in soft‑launch areas will receive notices at 90, 60 and 30 days before install, and mailers when emails are not available.

Commissioners asked about rural connectivity and the county broadband ‘‘bead’’ project. Commissioner Borgeson raised concerns that a lower grade of fiber in some rural areas could affect smart‑meter performance; OPPD officials said meters can use cellular networks and the meter communications vendor can select the cellular network with the best signal in a location, but OPPD staff said they would follow up with the meter team to confirm coverage in specific areas.

Commissioners also asked whether OPPD can place lines underground in new subdivisions; OPPD said buried lines are used frequently in newer developments but are costly and that retrofitting existing overhead lines to underground is more expensive and disruptive.

Several commissioners credited OPPD for pandemic utility‑relief cooperation and noted the utility’s ongoing efforts to add renewables. OPPD officials said the utility board has set a net‑zero carbon emission goal by 2050 and that the company is adding renewables, dispatchable gas generation and purchase power agreements as part of a diverse portfolio.

OPPD staff offered to be a point of contact for county projects and to provide follow‑up on technical questions about AMI rollouts and rural connectivity.