Sierra Club Nebraska Statement on Forced Outage at Aging OPPD Coal Plant - CleanTechnica

The Sierra Club Nebraska has expressed strong concerns following a forced outage at the Omaha Public Power District’s (OPPD) North Omaha coal plant due to a steam tube failure. This incident led to one of the plant’s two remaining coal units being taken offline. The outage highlights ongoing reliability, health, and safety issues at the facility, which is over 60 years old—significantly exceeding the average coal plant lifespan of about 40 years. This event comes shortly after the OPPD board voted to extend the operational life of the aging coal plant, a decision the Sierra Club criticizes as misguided and costly. Ken Winston, Director of Sierra Club Nebraska, emphasized that the North Omaha coal plant is overdue for retirement, pointing out that the recent failure undermines arguments for continuing to operate such outdated and unreliable coal units. He likened the plant’s condition to a 60-year-old car, stressing that it is neither safe nor affordable to keep it running. Winston advocates for transitioning to affordable, clean