OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Public Power District has announced its plan to buy 400 megawatts of power from a wind farm being built near O'Neill in northeast Nebraska.
The utility's board voted Thursday to approve a 20-year contract for the electricity, which is enough to supply power to 118,000 customers. The plan now goes to the Nebraska Power Review board for approval.
The agreement would bring OPPD's use of renewable energy to 817 megawatts, nearly doubling its current capacity.
The announcement drew high praise from environmental groups, like the Nebraska Sierra Club. The group's Ken Winston said Thursday that OPPD's vote "is a huge win" for the utility's customers and that the vote "locked in low-cost, clean energy that will provide benefits to customer-owners for years to come."
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