At its September 2025 meeting, the Dawson Public Power District Board of Directors welcomed a new board member, reviewed a strong performance report, and approved projects aimed at enhancing service to its customers.
The board officially welcomed its newest member, Molly Dixon of Pleasanton, who was sworn into office after being appointed to fill a vacant Buffalo County Subdivision seat. Dixon takes the position previously held by the late Mary Wroblewski.
Engineering Manager Cole Brodine presented Dawson PPD’s reliability ratings.
The District uses standard industry metrics -- the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), and Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) – to track the frequency and duration of power outages experienced by customers. These numbers will be provided to the board on a monthly basis.
Customers experienced an average of .5 outages annually compared to the national average of 1.3. When a power outage did occur, Dawson PPD restored it in 61 minutes compared to the state average of 72 minutes and the national average of 342 minutes.
“While these numbers show that Dawson PPD is diligent in its work to serve our customers, we need to remember that weather and topography play a big role in regional differences,” explained General Manager Alyssa Clemsen Roberts.
Dawson PPD’s ability to restore power quickly and reliably is supported by proactive measures such as the replacement of cutouts, which help prevent unexpected “blue sky outages,” and ongoing investments in Dawson PPD’s electric grid and equipment.
Dawson PPD accepted bids for two major projects. The first is a $2.4 million upgrade to Substation 22, located north of Cozad, awarded to Richards Electric. The second is a $5.5 million rebuild of transmission line between the North Platte Hydro and Substation 30 line, located south of North Platte, awarded to IES.
"These investments are part of Dawson PPD’s budgeted long-term work plan. By investing in these critical upgrades, Dawson PPD aims to provide more dependable power and improved service quality to customers across the region," the Nebraska public power utility noted.
Other items discussed at the meeting included, among other things:
- The Board reviewed the financial results for July, which were impacted by unseasonably wet weather and moderate temperatures. The decrease in anticipated irrigation load and related kilowatt-hour sales resulted in total power sales being 16.2% below budget for the month. Despite this, Dawson PPD’s year-to-date operating revenue remains on budget, and year-to-date margin is over $200,000 above budget.
- Customers will be asked to provide input through upcoming satisfaction surveys planned for residential, irrigation, and large power accounts. The surveys will measure satisfaction and gather feedback on topics ranging from preferred communication channels to interest in new programs.
- Board Member Don Batie was nominated to represent the District as the Nebraska Rural Electric Association delegate. He fills the vacant position left by the late Mary Wroblewski.
