CEO Neal Suess explains that this Nebraska hydroelectric power company maintains some of the lowest rates in the country
Written by Gabe PernaNext time you get that electricity bill and see the high cost of being wired, try not to think about customers of Loup Power District. You might blow a fuse in envy.
Located in the heart of the heartland, Loup Power District is the public electrical utilities company for Boone, Colfax, Nance and Platte counties in East Central Nebraska. The company, which uses hydroelectric power, through it’s locally elected Board of Director’s can essentially set its electricity rates as high or low as it wants. At Loup Power District, looking out for the community’s best interests has always taken precedent over anything else.
“Nebraska has the 5th or 6th lowest rates for electricity in the United States. We have one of the lowest rates in Nebraska. Our rates are 20 percent below the Nebraska average and 40 percent below the national average,” explains Loup Power District President and CEO Neal D. Suess. “We take pride in keeping our rates low.”
Renewable resource
Naturally, keeping rates low is meaningless without an efficient system. Luckily for Loup Power District customers, the company operates two of the most effective hydroelectric plants in Nebraska. The company works in accord with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), who acts as its wholesaler.
Suess sees many advantages to hydroelectric power. For one, the source does not actually use water. The company takes water from the Loup River and diverts it through its man-made 40-mile canal to two powerhouses in Columbus and Monroe. Once the water passes through the powerhouses, it ultimately lands in the Platte River. In Suess’ mind, there is no debate whether this system is renewable or not.
“A lot of people don’t call it renewable. I do, because we’re not using any water. We’re re-using it, and putting it back into the river,” says Suess, who adds hydroelectric has economical benefits as well. “It’s relatively inexpensive for us to run it. We do have to maintain the cost of the canal and the powerhouses, but that’s it. There’s no fuel cost. We’re not subjected to the variability of fuel costs. This makes it pretty attractive to customers.”
Community friendly
Suess knows a few things about the electric utilities industry. As a well-traveled 25-year veteran, over the years Suess took on a number of roles with various electrical companies before settling in as President and CEO of LPD. He recognizes working with the community is what sets the company apart more than anything else.
“We serve 23 different towns and have a local office in approximately half of those towns. When people think of Loup Power we want them to put a face with our company. This is someone who lives in their town and who they see on the street. If a customer has a question, they can answer it. With exception of Columbus, all of the towns we service are small communities with fewer than 4,000 people. We pride ourselves on knowing we can provide that kind of customer service to those areas,” says Suess.
Parks and Recreation
One of Loup’s most prominent community based initiatives is its parks and recreation platform. Because Loup Power is a public entity, the community asked the company to develop a number of park and recreation areas. Situated all along the Loup Canal, the parks serve as an appreciation to local wildlife and as a free, clean area for public recreation. In addition, Suess says having these areas enhances the company’s hydroelectric power.
The parks and recreation platform is just one example of this dedication to the community. In addition to beautifying the area, Loup Power is heavily involved in the region’s economic development. The firm started its development department in honor of this very notion.
“One of the foundations for Loup Power District was to develop local business and bring jobs to the area. The development department’s sole focus is to look for businesses and work with various utility economic departments in order bring jobs into this area. The success they have had over years has been phenomenal. We’ve brought business from all parts of country,” Suess says.
Handling the load
As new businesses pour into the region, Loup Power District will have to expand capabilities to handle the additional power loads. For example, a nearby ethanol facility will expand its operations later this year. This means Loup will have to produce nearly half its total power load to accommodate the facility. As a result, the company has invested into bigger substations and transformers. Additionally, the company will seek to improve its technologies to stay on the cutting edge of industry standards.
“For years we’ve not been quite up to speed where I would like to see us with technology,” says Suess. “It plays a huge role in our company. We’ve been working with our power supplier to update this. We currently upgrade our computer systems every 8-10 year. I’m looking into doing it every three to five years. With all the new technology coming down the pipe, we need to keep up.”
Best people ever
Not only does “keeping up” entail investing in new technologies, it also means more dedication from Loup Power’s approximately 120 employees. This should be no problem for a group that Suess describes as, “the best people in the world.” He says their dedication to customer service is the company’s foremost competitive advantage. For him, it all goes back that notion of putting a face to the company.
“I can’t say enough things about our employees and how they go out of their way to talk to the people they are dealing with. If someone complains about an outage, our guys take the time to talk to them and let them know what’s going on. We’re service oriented and we want the community to put a face to our company,” concludes Suess.