Press Release (ELWOOD, Neb.) – The boards of directors of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and Dawson Public Power District voted Monday during a joint meeting of the boards to consolidate the two districts into a single public power and irrigation district. The consolidated entity will be called Platte River Public Power and Irrigation District (PRPPID).
The formation of PRPPID brings together complimentary operational focuses of retail electrical distribution, renewable power generation and irrigation water distribution. Bringing them together in a single entity under a shared governance and administrative structure will further maximize this fit. This ensures that hydropower — and other potential future electrical generation technologies — can directly benefit the area’s irrigation delivery service customers and its retail electrical customers, the owners of this public entity.
The new district will align hydropower generation during the irrigation season with peak demands for power, maximizing the value of the water used by its irrigation customers while providing reliable energy for groundwater irrigators with electric pumps, agricultural industries and homes. As a single entity, PRPPID will be uniquely positioned to conjunctively manage these resources to benefit surface and ground water irrigators, energy customers, recreationalists and other stakeholders ultimately improving the sustainability of surface water supplies.
As the final step in the process, the board-ratified consolidation plan will be submitted to the Nebraska Power Review Board, which will review the plan, hold a hearing and render a decision, potentially at its December meeting. Pending approval from the Power Review Board, it is estimated the new public power and irrigation district will officially come into being in July 2023.
