McCook Public Power District

About

McCook Public Power District is one of 29 rural electric utilities headquartered in Nebraska. Of the rural electric systems headquartered in Nebraska, 27 are organized as Public Power Districts (political subdivisions of the State of Nebraska). 

On July 16, 1935, a petition for creation of the McCook Public Power District REA was filed with the Nebraska secretary of state. The petition was approved the same day and on July 26, 1935, MPPD was organized. 

President Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration under the “emergency relief appropriation act. The REA Act, sponsored by Senator George Norris, was passed by Congress in 1936 and signed into law by President Roosevelt on May 20, 1936.

On August 15, 1941, the groundwork was laid for the operation of the McCook Public Power District, financed with a $124,000 federal loan for construction and operations of facilities to serve 219 customers in Red Willow, Frontier, and Hitchcock counties.  Three months later, another loan for $145,000 financed construction and operations to add 514 customers in Gosper and Furnas counties.

The first McCook PPD REA line served customers between McCook and Indianola as well as customers within Indianola.

McCook PPD’s first headquarters office building was located at 419 west B Street, from 1940 to 1944. The office was located at 1211 East B Street until 1947, at 307 Norris Ave until 1952, at 109 East C Street, and now at the present location on North Highway 83.

Currently, the McCook PPD service area covers approximately 2,800 square miles consisting of 2,586 miles of transmission and distribution line from 13 substations serving over 5,000 customers in parts of Frontier, Red Willow, Hitchcock, Lincoln, Hayes, and Gosper counties.  MPPD’s rates are very competitive and in most cases lower than the national average.