Nebraska’s Omaha Public Power District Celebrates 75th Anniversary

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
November 30, 2021

Nebraska public power utility Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) on Dec. 2 will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation.

“OPPD has powered the communities it serves through wars, floods and pandemics,” OPPD’s newsletter, The Wire, notes in an article about the anniversary.

The history of OPPD dates back to 1917, when the Nebraska Power Company was incorporated. On June 1 of the same year, the newly formed company acquired the property of the Omaha Electric Light and Power Company. In 1946, its customers numbered 83,507, gross revenues totaled $10,828,000, kilowatt-hour sales were 552,000,000 and generating capability had reached 119,000 kilowatts.

On Dec. 2, 1946, the state legislature created OPPD as a political subdivision of the state of Nebraska, which acquired the properties operated by the Nebraska Power Company.

In January 1965, the Eastern Nebraska Public Power District merged with OPPD, doubling the size of our service area to 5,000 square miles. With the merger, four counties were added to OPPD’s service area, which now covers all or part of 13 counties in southeastern Nebraska.

Click here for milestone and anniversary-related content posted on The Wire’s webpage.

A 75th anniversary video OPPD created for an employee celebration is posted here,