Northwest Rural Public Power District is the newest member of NEGT, the Nebraska Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Inc.
The move is essentially the second step in Northwest Rural ending its decades-long membership in and contract with the Tri State Generation and Transmission Association and buying its wholesale electricity from NPPD, Nebraska Public Power District.
Northwest Rural General Manager Chance Briscoe says NEGT will essentially be the middleman between his utility and NPPD.
Briscoe says Tri State filled a similar role for Northwest Rural, but that the arrangement was more complicated and at times more expensive because Tri State produces some of its own electricity.
NEGT General Manager Darin Bloomquist says they welcome Northwest Rural as a member and believes it will enhance the NEGT motto of Stronger Together!”
NEGT was formed in 1956 and serves the electrical needs of 150,000 end-use rural customers in Nebraska.
Last year, it sold 4.86 billion kilowatt hours to its members and ranked 2nd-lowest in cost per kilowatt hour of the 46 largest Generation and Transmission Cooperatives in the United States
Briscoe says the Northwest Rural board is excited to join NEGT because it has a strong reputation for advocacy of its members.
NEGT is the largest customer of NPPD and is contracted with it through 2035. Briscoe says Northwest Rural’s all-requirements wholesale power supply contract with NEGT for wholesale electricity from NPPD should start next May 1st.
Northwest Rural Public Power District is headquartered in Hay Springs and serves 3,300 accounts with over 1,900 miles of line in rural Dawes, Sheridan, and Cherry Counties To learn more about NEGT, visit its website at negt.coop.