LINCOLN- A panel of state lawmakers were told Wednesday that Nebraska produced more electricity than the state used during the February deep freeze. Public power officials testifying before the Natural Resources Committee said the blackouts were ordered by the regional transmission organization they are members of. The blackouts, usually lasting less than 90 minutes, prevented major outages. Local power officials said this is not how they want things to go if put in the same situation again.
It is estimated that 63% of the outages were because of supply issues, including competition for natural gas for heating, and ice that made coal unusable, while other energy sources were not weatherized. Senators asked if Nebraska could have refused to implement the blackouts, to which the president of NPPD said the state would have faced a $1 million a day federal penalty.
Nebraska regulators will intervene in the February price hikes expected on the bills of customers served by privately operated natural gas companies. Natural gas prices skyrocketed, forcing the price that utilities pass on to customers to rise as well. This past February was one of the coldest on record.
MUD has estimated that the average residential customer could see an additional $17.21 on their February bill, a price that could have been $200 higher if not for the cost-saving moves made. The Nebraska Public Service Commission is requiring an extra 30 day grace period for delinquent bills, extending a moratorium on shutting off delinquent low-income households, investigating the price spikes and directing two utilities to withhold from bills for now.