OPPD performs routine inspections while preparing for increased energy demand - WOWT

OPPD performs routine inspections while preparing for increased energy demand

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - If you see a helicopter hovering near power lines in Omaha or surrounding areas, don’t be alarmed.

The Omaha Public Power District is conducting routine inspections of transmission lines and equipment throughout its 13-county service area.

Gary Wohlman, a line maintenance technician with OPPD says bi-annual inspections help keep the energy flowing.

“We want to catch any flaws that can interfere with or interrupt our system,” he said.

Wohlman says OPPD currently owns more than 1,300 miles of lines and keeps growing.

“Every year it seems like we get more and more lines built, so we have more lines to patrol,” he said.

According to the Nebraska Power Association, demand for electricity in Nebraska is projected to grow more than three times higher this year compared to last year’s projections.

To keep up with the growth, OPPD plans to add an unprecedented 100 megawatts of power per year over the next several years. That’s up from just four megawatts OPPD had been adding yearly, just a few years ago.

“There’s increased electrification of the things we use every day, medical technology,” said OPPD media specialist Jodi Baker. “All kinds of things are causing a rise in electricity use.”

OPPD is also completing work on new natural gas plants at Standing Bear Lake and Turtle Creek. Baker says the plants will run about 15% of the time to help balance generation.

“When there’s supply and demand issues these plants will kick in to make sure that there’s energy,” she said.

Baker says large industrial projects like the new Google Data Center are driving much of the growth, along with increased demand from the average user.

“We’ve got lots of large customers in our area like data centers and others that are using a lot of energy but in addition, we are just using more energy as customers,” Baker said. “Including our cell phone use, our laptop use, the cloud all these things are really causing an increase in energy demand.”

Construction on the Standing Bear Lake and Turtle Creek plants is expected to be completed in 2024.

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