Now available: This Is Server CountryGet the book→
NE — Power Infrastructure Updated January 2026

Nebraska

SPP Natural Gas Nuclear Solar Wind Storage Data Center PPAs Queue Bottlenecks Transmission Constraints

Overview

Nebraska’s power infrastructure is responding to rising demand with a mix of new natural gas capacity, nuclear life extension, and renewable energy contracts. The state’s two largest public power utilities — Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) — are building their largest generation projects in decades while navigating Southwest Power Pool (SPP) interconnection queue delays that stretch back to 2018.

Generation Projects

Natural Gas

Nebraska utilities are making their largest natural gas investments in a generation to meet load growth.

  • Princeton Road Station (NPPD, Hallam area): NPPD is building 694 MW of new gas-fired capacity using combustion turbines and reciprocating engines, all dual-fuel capable. This is NPPD’s largest new generation project in decades.[1]
  • Turtle Creek Station expansion (OPPD, Sarpy County): OPPD’s new Turtle Creek Station came online with 450 MW from two gas turbines, with plans to add another turbine as load grows.[2]
  • Terry Bundy Generating Station additions (LES, Lincoln): Lincoln Electric System is adding two new natural gas turbines at Terry Bundy to support rising demand.[2]

Nuclear

NPPD is extending the life of its existing nuclear plant and studying advanced reactor sites.

  • Cooper Nuclear Station relicensing (NPPD, Brownville): NPPD’s board voted in February 2024 to pursue license renewal for the 800 MW Cooper Nuclear Station, which would extend operations from 2034 to 2054 if approved by the NRC.[3]
  • Advanced nuclear site studies (NPPD): NPPD has begun site studies for potential small modular reactor (SMR) deployments as part of its “Next Generation Nuclear” initiative.[4]

Solar

  • Platteview Solar (AES + OPPD, Saunders County): An 81 MWac utility-scale project south of Yutan that reached commercial operation in May 2024. This is OPPD’s first utility-scale solar PPA (power purchase agreement — a long-term contract to buy electricity).[5]

Wind

  • Milligan 1 Wind (EDF Renewables + OPPD): EDF Renewables signed a 20-year PPA with OPPD for the 300 MW Milligan 1 Wind project, locking in long-term renewable supply for OPPD’s load growth.[6]

Transmission and Grid

  • R-Project 345 kV line (NPPD, west-to-central Nebraska): NPPD is building a 345 kV transmission line from Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland to a substation east of Thedford, then east to a new substation in Holt County. The project upgrades reliability and capacity across key load corridors.[4]
  • Norfolk–Stanton North 115 kV line (NPPD, northeast Nebraska): A 7.5-mile 115 kV line connecting substations near Norfolk and Stanton to increase capacity and improve reliability in Stanton, Cuming, and Burt counties.[4]

Battery Storage

  • Norfolk Solar + Storage (City of Norfolk, Sol Systems): Nebraska’s first large-scale battery storage project pairs an 8.5 MW community solar farm with a 1 MW/2 MWh battery system. This is the state’s clearest utility-scale storage example to date.[7]

Data Center Power Agreements

  • Meta-supported renewable build for Sarpy Data Center: Meta’s Sarpy data center facility reports that a Meta-supported project is adding 320 MW of new renewable energy in Nebraska to match the facility’s electricity use with 100% clean power.[8]
  • OPPD wind PPA: The 20-year EDF Renewables PPA for Milligan 1 Wind (300 MW) expands OPPD’s clean supply, which can indirectly support data center load in its service territory.[6]

Interconnection Queue

Nebraska utilities operate inside the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) footprint, where generator interconnection delays have become a major bottleneck. In August 2024, SPP asked FERC for permission to delay its 2024 interconnection queue cluster study and pause new interconnection requests while it completes prior cluster studies dating back to 2018. This indicates multi-year queue congestion that can affect both new generation and large-load integration timelines.[9]

What to Watch

  • Whether NPPD’s Princeton Road Station construction timeline holds, as it represents the state’s largest new gas capacity in decades
  • NRC approval timeline for Cooper Nuclear’s license extension to 2054
  • SPP interconnection queue reform efforts and whether Nebraska projects face additional delays

Sources

[1] Nebraska Public Power District, “NPPD to host informational open house for new generation facility,” Press release, October 10, 2025, https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/nppd-to-host-informational-open-house-for-new-generation-facility (accessed January 8, 2026).

[2] Matt Olberding, “Nebraska’s largest power providers making big bet on natural gas,” Nebraska Public Media, June 26, 2025, https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraskas-largest-power-providers-making-big-bet-on-natural-gas/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[3] Nebraska Public Power District, “Cooper Nuclear Station Relicensing,” PDF (Rev. 04/24/25), https://docs.nppd.com/FileDownload.aspx?Filename=CNS_Relicensing.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[4] Nebraska Public Power District, “Current Projects,” NPPD, n.d., https://www.nppd.com/powering-nebraska/projects (accessed January 8, 2026).

[5] AES Corporation and Omaha Public Power District, “Platteview Solar Fact Sheet,” PDF (Rev. 07/24), https://www.aes.com/sites/aes.com/files/2024-09/Final%20Platteview%20solar%20fact%20sheet%20%28AES%2BOPPD%29%20%281%29.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).

[6] EDF Renewables North America, “EDF Renewables North America Signs Agreement with Omaha Public Power District for Milligan 1 Wind Project,” Press release, September 20, 2024, https://www.edf-re.com/press-release/edf-renewables-north-america-signs-agreement-with-omaha-public-power-district-for-milligan-wind-project/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[7] Norfolk Solar, “Norfolk Solar + Storage Farm,” Project website, n.d., https://www.norfolksolarproject.com/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[8] Meta, “Meta’s Sarpy Data Center,” PDF, n.d., https://datacenters.atmeta.com/asset/sarpy-data-center-info-sheet/ (accessed January 8, 2026).

[9] Ethan Howland, “Southwest Power Pool seeks FERC OK to delay 2024 interconnection queue process,” Utility Dive, August 26, 2024, https://www.utilitydive.com/news/southwest-power-pool-spp-ferc-delay-interconnection-queue/725212/ (accessed January 8, 2026).