Hay Springs-based Northwest Rural Public Power District is dropping its long-time wholesale power supply contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Cooperative and replacing it with one with NPDD, the Nebraska Public Power District
Northwest Rural serves 3,300 accounts in Dawes, Sheridan, and Cherry Counties. NPPD serves 84 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, including wholesale power supply contracts with 37 municipalities and 24 Rural Public Power Districts and Cooperatives .
The NPPD and Northwest Rural boards have both agreed to pursue a wholesale supply contract starting next May 1st, the same date Northwest Rural will terminate its contract with Tri-State
General Manager Chance Briscoe says Northwest Rural is proud to have been a founding member of Colorado-based Tri-State and has had a successful relationship with it for decades, but that conditions aren’t what they were.
Briscoe says “with the changes in the electric industry and consideration of Northwest Rural’s future needs, the Board of Directors believes NPPD offers the best opportunity for continued success into the future.”
The NPPD board last week announced its wholesale rates would remain unchanged for the 7th straight year and that wholesale customers would also see $57 million dollars in rate relief from a 6th straight year of a Production Cost Adjustment credit.
Briscoe says NPPD has a proven track record for reliable power supply at extremely competitive rates that will allow Northwest Rural to offer a significant rate reduction to its electric customers in the near future.
He adds that replacing the Tri-State supply contract with NPPD will keep more than $6 million dollars a year from leaving the state of Nebraska.”
NPPD Vice President of Customer Services and External Affairs Courtney Dentlinger says “The utility’s team is excited about the opportunity to partner with Northwest Rural in our shared mission to provide low-cost and reliable energy to Nebraskans.”
Dentlinger says NPPD has long served communities in the Panhandle at both the retail and wholesale level, and looks forward to working closely with Northwest Rural Public Power District as its wholesale power supplier.”