Business Advantages
Benefits
OPPD’s service area offers an array of advantages that make living, working and doing business here a wonderful and rewarding experience. Our pro-business environment, strong infrastructure, world-class workforce, drive for innovation, and higher education facilities are differentiators for business-location decisions.
Low Rates, High Reliability and Environmentally Sensitive Energy
OPPD customers receive low rates, high reliability, environmentally sensitive energy and excellent customer service. For two consecutive years, OPPD ranked as the #1 Midwest Midsize Utility in Business Customer Satisfaction (J.D. Power and Associates, 2015 and 2016).
OPPD offers competitive rates that beat regional and national averages. In addition, OPPD is committed to no general fixed rate increases through 2021.
OPPD industrial rates are 11% below the national average and commercial rates are 18% below the national average.
*West-North Central Region includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota & South Dakota
Source: 2015 Energy Information Administration
OPPD is currently evaluating its energy portfolio to add new generation that will include additional renewables and increase OPPD’s renewables to as much as 50% of its generation mix by 2021. Review the Integrated Resource Plan submitted to the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) in Feb. 2017.
Solutions
Large Power - High Voltage Transmission Level - 261
- 161 kV requires at least 20 MW
- 345 kV requires at least 200 MW
- Customer owns its electric substation
- Discount of roughly 5%, based on demand and energy use
- View Rate 261
Large Power - High Voltage Transmission Level - Market Energy 261M
- Customer provides a minimum of 20 MW of new load at 161 kV or at least 200 MW of new load at 345 kV service each month
- Customer owns its electric substation
- Market rate pricing
- View Rate 261M
Economic Development Rate Rider – 490
- The capacity available to consumers under this rider is limited to surplus capacity projected by the District. This rider is currently unavailable.
- OPPD’s Rate Rider 490 provides a discount to qualifying businesses and creates new jobs and investment in the service area.
- Reduced electrical rates for large customers
- Available 3-5 years, plus 3-5 years at OPPD’s current rates
- Fixed or declining block options
Green Sponsorship Rate Rider - 499
- Helps customers meet renewable energy goals
- Provides a “hedge” for future energy concerns
- Customer purchases at least 10,000,000 kWh of energy annually from OPPD
- Rate rider is available on Rate Schedules 232, 240, 245, 250 and 261
- Pricing based on renewable energy contract and Southwest Power Pool market
- View Rate Rider 499
High Reliability
For the past 14 years, OPPD has maintained reliability greater than 99.98%, as measured by the Average Service Availability Index. This beats the average (99.91%) reported among utilities surveyed by the American Public Power Association (APPA).
System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) = Number of Customer Minutes Out ÷ Number of Customers Served. SAIDI is the amount of outage time, in minutes, that was experienced by the average customer in the system.
Average Service Availability Index (ASAI) = Number of Customer Minutes Available ÷ Number of Customer Minutes Served. Simply put, ASAI is the percentage of time the system was available.
Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) = Number of Customer Minutes Interrupted ÷ Number of Customer Out. This is the average interruption duration time for those customers that experience an interruption during the year. It approximates the average length of time required to complete service restoration.
System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) = Number of Customer Interruptions ÷ Number of Customers Served. This index is the average number of times that a customer is interrupted during a year. It is determined by dividing the total annual number of customers interrupted by the average number of customers served during the year.
Customer Average Interruption Frequency Index (CAIFI) = Number of Sustained Outages* ÷ Number of Customer Affected. This is the average number of interruptions for those customers that experience an interruption during the year.
Momentary Average Interruption Frequency Index (MAIFI) = Number of Non-Sustained Outages ÷ Number of Customer Served. This is the number of non-sustained interruptions that was experienced by the average customer.
* A sustained outage is defined as any outage of duration greater than two minutes. Sustained outages affect SAIDI, CAIDI, SAIFI, CAIFI and ASAI. Non-sustained outages affect MAIFI only.
Transportation and logistics advantages:
Being centrally located in the U.S. has several advantages over coastal locations.
- Dual rail access to OPPD’s Arbor Rail Line - OPPD owns 56.4 miles of a former Burlington Northern Santa Fe branch line running east from Lincoln (College View) to OPPD's Nebraska City Power Station. The line connects with Burlington Northern Santa Fe at College View and Union Pacific at Nebraska City. The Arbor Rail Line exhibits a unique opportunity for new and existing businesses as an appropriate place for location or expansion and has potential for many positive effects with Enterprise Zone designation.
- Central location in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) corridor
- Foreign Trade Zone #19 in Omaha
- Direct flight access - Omaha’s Eppley Airfield offers 150 flights a day to nearly 20 cities across North America, including 17 non-stop cities
- Major transportation access to Interstates 29 and 80
Low Cost of Doing Business
Omaha is a cost leader among U.S. Cities in the Midwest region, with costs more than 6% below the U.S. base.
Source: 2016 KPMG Competitive Alternatives
Critical Core Competencies in Key Industries
- Data Center
- Food Processing
- Manufacturing
- Biotech
Additional Advantages
There are many advantages to locating your business in the Midwest, below are just a few:
- Abundant water supply
- Low risk for natural disasters
- Greater Omaha labor force is more than 750,000 in a 60-mile radius
- Short drive times (where 60 minutes = 60 miles)
- Excellent schools and universities
- 90.6 percent of adults 25 years or older graduated from high school, 86.9 percent nationally
- 34.3 percent graduated with a Bachelor's degree or higher, 30.1 percent nationally
- Affordable housing
- Innovative hospitals and medical centers
- Low cost of living
- Competitive tax incentives
Rankings
Nebraska
#1 - Top State By Projects Per Capita – Site Selection Magazine, 2016
#3 - Best States for Business - Forbes, 2016
#5 - Top States, Gallup Job Creation Index - Gallup, 2016
#4 - States With Highest Confidence in State Economy - Gallup, 2016
Cost of Living & Doing Business – Top 15 State, CNBC “Top States for Business”, 2016
Pro-Business regulations – Top 10 State, CNBC “Top States for Business”, 2016
Education – Top 10 State, CNBC “Top States for Business”, 2016
#2 Top State for Fiscal Solvency, George Mason University, 2016
#3 Top State for Legal Climate, US Chamber, 2015
#2 Best Pro-Business State, Pollina Corp. Real Estate, 2015
#2 – State with Most Qualifying New and Expanded Facilities Per Capita, Site Selection Magazine, 2015
#3 - Best States for Business (Nebraska), Forbes, 2015
Top Innovative States, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, 2015
Greater Omaha
#1 - Top Tier 2 Metro Areas for Corporate Project Attractions and Expansions – Site Selection Magazine, 2016
#11 - Top Tech Cities in the Midwest, 2016
#7 - The Top Ten Cities for Creatives - SmartAsset , 2016
One of the top cities for site selection assistance, GlobalTrade, 2016
#1 - Top tier 2 metro areas for corporate project attractions and expansions, Site Selection Magazine, 2015
One of the top cities for site selection assistance, GlobalTrade, Jan. 2016
#3 - Best cities to find a job in 2016, ZipRecruiter, Jan. 2016
#9 - 2015's most caring cities in America, Wallet Hub, Dec. 2015
One of the top cities for global trade (Omaha), Global Trade, Oct. 2015
#1 - Top 10 best American cities to work in tech in 2015, SmartAsset, Sept. 2015
5 best big cities (best in the midwest), Time.com/money, Aug. 2015
#2 - 2015's best city for recreation, WalletHub, July 2015
#1 - Best U.S. cities for paid internships, Time.com/money, June 2015
#2 - Best cities to find a job in 2015, Fortune, June 2015
#15 - 2015's best city for families, WalletHub.com, June 2015
#1 - U.S. healthcare affordability index (35 U.S. metropolitan areas),Castlight Health, June 2015
#2 - Best U.S. cities for millennial college students, CNBC, May 2015
#20 - 2015's best cities to start a career, WalletHub, May 2015
#5 - 2015's best cities to work for a small business, WalletHub, May 2015
#2 - Top theatre venues in the midwest (Orpheum Theater and Holland Performing Arts Center), Venues Today, April 2015
#8 - Top 10 cities for new college graduates, SmartAsset, April 2015
#2 - 15 best U.S. cities for millennial college students, OnlineColleges, March 2015
#18 - 2014 community well-being rankings, Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index, Feb. 2015
One of the top 13 fastest-growing tech hubs in the U.S., Feb. 2015
#5 - Best metro area for STEM professionals, Wallethub.com, Jan. 2015
#7 - Best city to find a job, Wallethub.com, Jan. 2015
Fortune-Ranked Companies
Because of its favorable business climate, the OPPD service area is home to many Fortune-ranked companies’ headquarters.
Fortune 500s
Berkshire Hathaway
Mutual of Omaha
Peter Kiewit Sons’
Union Pacific
Fortune 1,000s
Green Plains Renewable Energy
TD Ameritrade
Valmont Industries
Werner Enterprises
West Corporation