Coal will continue to burn in North Omaha.
Omaha Public Power District’s board of directors voted Thursday to delay decommissioning the North Omaha Station’s coal-fired units despite previous pledges and public health concerns. The public utility cites a “new energy reality” driving its decision.
OPPD President Javier Fernandez shared a statement ahead of the board meeting, acknowledging a range of concerns raised by the public.
“I understand how personal these concerns are,” Fernandez said, “and they weigh on me. I recognize that some of our decisions have caused frustration and disappointment, and I take that seriously.”
Delayed plans
OPPD for more than a decade has planned to end the burning of coal at its North Omaha power plant. After multiple setbacks, the utility aimed to transition the plant’s two remaining coal-fired units to natural gas by the end of 2026, but new requirements from the Southwest Power Pool and a massive increase in energy needs kicked the decision down the line.
A board vote set in October was delayed following a lawsuit by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers.
In the lawsuit, Hilgers alleges the plan to retire the coal units conflicts with the core mission of the public utility as established by the state Legislature. He said OPPD should prioritize affordability and reliability over environmental goals.
“Public power providers should not achieve their self-imposed environmental goals by raising prices for Nebraska consumers,” Hilgers said in a press release. The litigation is ongoing.
The lawsuit is one of several factors influencing the public utility’s course of action. Rapid growth in energy needs, new winter reserve requirements and concerns over reliability have pushed OPPD to slow the full transition from coal to natural gas.
OPPD’s board delayed a previous plan that would have phased out coal in 2023. A vote in 2022 pushed the conversion until at least 2026, in large part because it faced a regional backlog in getting replacement power connected into the grid.
Since 2019, OPPD’s winter energy peak has grown by 473 megawatts and summer peak by 544 megawatts — the equivalent of adding the electric grids of Grand Island and Hastings, combined.
At the same time, the utility said new generation takes longer to build, and required regional reserve margins are increasing.
As the timeline drags on, North Omaha community members and environmental health researchers are sounding the alarm on the plant’s health impacts and alleging the utility has failed to mitigate risks.
Addressing board members, State Sen. Terrell McKinney alleged the decision to delay was based in “environmental classism and racism.”
“It’s just very sad that we’re at this point where people who pretend like they’re progressive climate justice warriors and all these things get into office and do the opposite,” McKinney said. “Fight for the people that you were elected to represent, and not for corporate greed.”
Health impacts
For years, local researchers and North Omaha residents have linked the coal plant to a potential increase in respiratory illnesses. A health risk assessment commissioned by OPPD has led to further public debate.
The study found that continued burning of coal does not pose a significant risk to the public or environment as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Douglas County’s top public health official disagrees.
In a letter to OPPD board members, Douglas County Health Department Director Lindsay Huse urged the board to retire the coal-fired units.
“Continuing the operation of coal-fired generation represents a clear detrimental impact to human health, exacerbates existing health inequities, and imposes an unacceptable burden on specific communities, most notably North Omaha,” Huse wrote.
Should the board vote to continue running coal burning units, Huse requested a partnership between OPPD and the Douglas County Health Department to “ensure public accountability and health protection” through air quality monitoring, public data transparency and the creation of a fund to address health impacts.
Public health experts weighed in with their own analysis during a forum hosted by Creighton University last week. Speaking remotely, researchers from Brown University, Harvard and Virginia Tech shared concerns that OPPD’s commissioned study failed to acknowledge known health effects of coal plant emissions or recognize research indicating that those impacts decrease when emissions are reduced or plants are shuttered.
Despite a further delay in decommissioning, the resolution passed by the board Thursday outlines a commitment to continue preparations for the transition. OPPD leaders said if the timeline progresses as expected, the conversion could take place in 2028.