By Jayson Bishop, Midwest Electric Membership Corporation general manager

    Electric cooperatives and public power districts across Nebraska are proud to note that Nebraska is the only state in the country served entirely by public power.  Every meter in the state is served by an entity that is a political subdivision – a public power district or municipality – or a not-for-profit cooperative.  This unique setup provides many benefits for the people and businesses in Nebraska.
    The benefit that probably stands out the most to the average Nebraskan is cost control.  As there are no companies trying to generate a profit from selling electricity, we can all be focused on delivering reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost.  According to the United States Energy Information Administration, in 2025 Nebraska had the second-lowest cost of residential electricity of any state in the nation, right behind North Dakota (another state with a large public power presence).  Nebraska’s average residential rate of 11.57 cents per kilowatt hour is 67 percent of the national average meaning residential bills in Nebraska are a third less than the national average.
    Another factor that helps public power districts and electric cooperatives around the state stay focused on affordability is that the boards that oversee each utility are locally elected representatives of the customers and members that are served by the utility.  The men and women who serve on these boards are also the ones paying electric bills, so they have a vested interest in making sure the utility is run safely and efficiently.  And they also have a desire to see each system be financially sound and have well-maintained infrastructure to continue to be able to provide reliable and affordable power for generations to come.
    Public power entities across the state benefit from the close working relationships we have with each other.  As we all have similar goals, we often work together to help everyone achieve those goals.  The most obvious example of systems helping each other the public would see is providing mutual aid when there is significant damage caused by storms.  Tornadoes, ice storms and other extreme weather events can cause significant damage and extensive outages.  When this occurs, neighboring systems send line crews to help rebuild neighboring systems and get everyone’s power back on.  Systems are happy to send help as we know that at some point the shoe will be on the other foot and they’ll be the one needing help from others.
    Systems across Nebraska also benefit from collaboration through the Nebraska Rural Electric Association (NREA).  One of the biggest benefits the NREA provides is facilitating the statewide safety program that provides education and training to our lineworkers.  Linework can be dangerous, so safe work practices are of paramount importance for all our employees.  Collaborative training to make sure all our linemen go home safely each night makes sure our crews are able to keep the lights on for everyone.  And the NREA provides many other benefits to utilities across the state to help us all do the best job we can do for all Nebraska.