About Dawson PPD
Mission Statement
We exist to safely provide reliable, low-cost power using effective technology to meet our customers’ needs.
About Dawson PPD
Dawson Public Power District serves more than 23,000 electric meters and maintains over 5,800 miles of power lines in south central Nebraska, along the Platte River Valley. Dawson PPD was organized on February 26, 1937.
With about 80 employees, Dawson PPD is one of the largest rural systems in the state of Nebraska. The District is a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the Nebraska Rural Electric Association. Our general manager is Gwen Kautz. The District is guided by an elected eleven-person board of directors, representing the people we serve.
Dawson PPD’s territory includes all of the rural areas in Dawson and Buffalo Counties, approximately two-thirds of Gosper County, a third of Lincoln County and parts of Custer, Sherman and Frontier Counties. The District also serves several villages: Hershey, Maxwell, Brady, Farnam, Eustis, Elwood, Eddyville, Smithfield, Overton, Sumner, Miller, Riverdale, Amherst, Odessa and Pleasanton. Dawson PPD does not serve customers within the cities of North Platte, Gothenburg, Cozad, Lexington, Elm Creek, Kearney, Gibbon, Shelton or Ravenna.
Dawson PPD Service Area
The District’s headquarters is located in Lexington. Our service centers are located in North Platte, Gothenburg, Sumner, Ravenna and Kearney.
Dawson PPD purchases electricity from Nebraska Public Power District and distributes it to customers in our area. During the summer months, as our energy sales peak, we receive supplemental power from Western Area Power Association. This low-cost WAPA power is produced by federally-owned hydro-electric generators.
Nearly half of Dawson PPD’s revenue is generated by electricity sales to residential and farm customers. Another third of the revenue comes from irrigation services.
Public power: it’sYOUR power!
Dawson PPD is a public power utility. This means we…
Are owned by the people of the state of Nebraska — we’re not out to make a profit to pay dividends to share holders
A little History Lesson…
In the 1930s, much of the rural areas did not have electricity. The electric companies that existed at the time were serving towns and cities… and believed it was not economically feasible to provide service to these rural areas.
In 1936, Nebraska Senator George Norris helped Congress pass the Rural Electrification Act. This act stipulated that power generation and delivery systems were owned by the public for the public good. While criticized by many as being socialistic, Norris believed that public power represented a way to ensure that every citizen was provided with reliable service at a reasonable price.
Today, Nebraska is the only state in the USA to be totally served by public power.
Location
75191 Rd. 433
PO Box 777
Lexington, NE 68850
Call
(308) 324-2386
(800) 752-8305
Hours
Monday – Friday
7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.