Powering Progress

Dan Swanson

news | press

 

Construction of the Omaha Public Power District’s second coal-fired power plant at Nebraska City is already providing great dividends for the community.

Last summer, when Zachry Construction had hired 360 workers to build the 600-megawatt power plant, Nebraska City was reporting record-high sales taxes. A new high for a single month was set in January when the city collected $156,000, but the spring brought even higher sales with $190,000 collected in April.

Through the first four months of the current fiscal year, with 580 workers on-site at the plant, Nebraska City has already collected nearly 50 percent of the $1.3 million it budgeted for sales tax.

Although some secondary construction supplies are purchased in Nebraska City, the largest impact on sales tax may come from the employees and their families.

“For an employer who is seven miles away to have 100 or 200 new jobs, it’s huge. It would be noticed by Omaha or Lincoln and for a city this size, it’s huge,” said City Administrator Scott Bovick.

By February, the plant was employing 630 construction workers and 71 people working on engineering and procurement. The number of employees is expected to ramp up to about 850 this summer.

The employees and payroll for skilled construction jobs have also had a positive economic impact on Auburn, Rock Port, Tarkio and Syracuse.

“From a regional standpoint, when they are healthy, we are probably healthy,” said Bovick. “It’s a real strong economic benefit for the city and the region and I hope the employees are enjoying the communities they are becoming a part of.”

Bovick said he is not aware of any drawbacks or growing pains associated with the sudden influx of workers. “The only thing I’ve noticed is the donations to charitable causes and the volunteerism,” he said.

Zachry employees have been involved in blood drives, Toys for Tots, development of the new softball field and United Way.

When years of planning and engineer drawings are figured in, OPPD considers the overall project to be 61 percent complete. The new power plant, which is designed to provide electricity for five Nebraska and three other midlands utilities, is scheduled to be in operation in spring of 2009. Construction is about 21 percent complete.

The structure is using over 700 semi-trailer loads of steel beams and steel structural columns that weigh 40,000 pounds each.

The 400-foot high stack is constructed on pilings driven 40 feet down and capped with concrete nine feet thick. Cement, which was poured at a pace of about 46 yards per day, was lifted to workers in buckets to build the stack.

The latest additions include the installation of the fourth of five coal silos. A 417-ton steam drum, which gathers steam before sending it to superheaters, has arrived on site. The superheated steam, about 1,050 degrees, is used to turn the turbine generator.

Jeff Hanson, an OPPD spokesman, said half of the plant’s 600 megawatts will be used by customers in the 13 counties of southeast Nebraska.

“From the viewpoint of its impact on our area, the plant is going to allow us to have power for economic growth and more families,” Hanson said.

He said the recent ice storm in western Nebraska shows the value of having fewer miles of transmission line between the power plant and its customers.