General

Powering the past, present and future

Cody Karre has seen many changes in his 21 years at Omaha Public Power District, most of which spent at the utility’s North Omaha Station.

What has remained constant, however, is the dedication of the men and women who work there, Karre said.

In his time at the plant, Karre has been an eyewitness to the many evolutions of the facility. North Omaha Station (NOS) – built after World War II and long considered the workhorse of OPPD’s generation fleet – is marking its 70^th anniversary this year.

Karre started at OPPD in 2003 as a plant electrical helper and is now the Special Projects manager, a role that takes him to all OPPD power plants, including the two new natural gas plants, Turtle Creek and Standing Bear Lake stations, both under construction.

Although he ensures that all plants maintain high operational standards, his primary focus now is on helping get Turtle Creek and Standing Bear Lake stations operational.

But NOS is his base, and it is a special place for him. Much as the plant has been a versatile part of OPPD’s fleet, Karre has been a versatile employee.

“I still think about some of the long, hard days at North Omaha Station,” Karre said. “I carry that journey and experience with me now as I work to ensure Turtle Creek and Standing Bear Lake will operate and be maintained by passionate and devoted employees, just like at North Omaha.”

Coin flip

Karre still remembers his first day at OPPD, when he walked into North Omaha Station.

“I thought, ‘How will I do this, this place is huge,’” he said. “But it came quickly. I struggled at first, and a few times my head was hanging low, but there were guys who said, ‘Come with me kid, we’ll show you how to fix it.’”

Now he is the “old guy” helping younger employees and passing along knowledge about OPPD’s plants, he said.

But he almost didn’t come to work at OPPD.

“It came down to a coin flip,” he said. “It was either here or a Budweiser plant in Fort Collins, Colo., and OPPD won.”

And that was the right choice, he said; at OPPD, he has found a home and a work family.

Many changes

For generations, OPPD relied on NOS to power the city and region’s growth. The plant has seen many changes during its 70 years, the largest being its transformation from a power plant that provides constant generation to a valuable balancing station that helps meet demand at peak times.

Karre noted other changes to the plant during his time there, including the control rooms’ controls changing from manual to digital, units 4 and 5 being fitted with modern emissions controls, and the remaining three units being retrofitted to run on natural gas.

He remembers retiring units 1 and 2 at NOS only to have them be called on again to provide balancing station generation.

But what hasn’t changed is the work ethic of the men and women who work there, and how they continue to perform their roles in a changing energy industry.

“There have been a lot of changes here, but they just keep making power,” he said. “North Omaha is full of dedicated people.”

Karre exemplifies the dedication of OPPD’s workforce, said Ryan Gerdts, director of Operations.

“Cody’s commitment to ensuring station operations and readiness is unwavering, as well as his willingness to jump in and provide input on challenges at NOS using his vast experience at the site,” said Gerdts. “He continues to be a major contributor to the success at our generating sites, including North Omaha Station and the changes in direction that facility has had in the past decade.”