After a year of key outages, OPPD likely raising rates

Following a year of rolling black-outs in the winter and a massive summertime power outage that left tens of thousands in the dark—some for up to six days—one of the state’s two largest electric companies is on the verge of charging its customers more.

The Omaha Public Power District announcing that its top bosses are recommending what it calls “a modest rate increase” for 2022, an average 2.5 percent hike across all customer classes.

The rate hikes, ending a five-year freeze, are scheduled to be voted on next month by OPPD’s elected, 8-member Board of Directors.

Residential customers are looking at a proposed 3.2 percent increase—an average of $36 a year.

According to the company, the higher bills—raising an additional $26 million— are due to several factors including new technology and “greater investment in the maintenance of overhead lines.”

Last July, a storm carrying winds of 52 mph, with unofficial reports of hurricane force winds of 90 mph, killed power to 188,000 customers. We’re told 120,000 had power restored in 24 hours while “extensive and complex” tree damage found thousands of others waiting far longer.

OPPD says one area of its budget, tree trimming, is getting a major boost—$14.28 million in 2022, nearly twice the $7.64 million of five years ago.

The utility serves 849,000 people in 13 eastern counties stretching from the Kansas border to Burt County and includes the cities of Omaha, Papillion, Bellevue, Blair, and Ashland.