Kevin Connot
Non-partisanQ32 Energy and its management play a role in local economic and environmental sustainability through creating jobs, incorporating sources considered sustainable, and updating infrastructure. Which of these, or others, are your priorities for your Public Power District? And what scientific evidence informed your priorities?
“Public power’s major objectives are affordability and reliability. No single source of energy production meets both of these objectives consistently. We need diverse sources of generation including renewable energy, natural gas, and likely nuclear as well. We have seen locally substantial property tax relief through the nameplate capacity tax along with job creation and new sources of revenue to landowners through leasing. It is a key driver of economic development in rural areas.
In regard to the levelized cost of each type of generation, wind and solar generation are the lowest cost according to the annual Lazard Levelized Cost of Energy Report. The Nebraska Energy Report referenced the NDEE information documenting that 23% of Nebraska’s energy came from renewables in 2023.”
Q33 Please discuss your professional views on different energy sources (ex. nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biofuel, coal, natural gas, oil/petroleum) and what policies you will support related to the potential use of these energy sources, if at all?
“Nuclear: promising technology although the 2026 Lazard cost study indicated the cost to be over $200 per megawatt hour. It is an excellent source of energy for reliability as it is dispatchable. The timeline for development could be 10 years or longer to really make an impact. Storage of spent fuel needs to be addressed.
Solar: low cost. Lazard has the cost of utility scale at about $40 per megawatt hour. Requires other types of generation to take care of the intermittency. Solar can be developed relatively quickly.
Wind: low cost as the 2026 Lazard study indicates a cost of as low as $39 per megawatt hour. Intermittency is the challenge and must be addressed with dispatchable generation likely natural gas or nuclear. Wind energy can be developed rather quickly.
Hydropower: I have not heard of much talk of large scale but maybe small scale is a possibility for distributed generation applications.
Geothermal: I am open to exploring this technology.
Biofuel: this is an excellent resource and can be a factor in economic development through value added agriculture.
Coal: existing resources provide cheap energy from fully depreciated aging plants. Emissions are a concern. The cost for state of the art clean burning plants needs to be explored to see if this resource is viable in the future.
Natural gas: Nebraska utilities are planning for new gas plants to complement intermittent renewables and are a solid option. Lazard indicates a high price per megawatt hour for peaking plants.
Oil - petroleum: I have not studied this generation in any detail.”
Q34 National discussion on data centers and their energy sources range from their potential to support cutting edge innovation to concerns on resource use, ownership, and raising utility costs. Nebraska’s energy infrastructure provides affordable and reliable energy, however projected significant increases in electricity demand, from data centers and other industries, will require more power than NE currently generates (NE Chamber Foundation). Do you think your Public Power District is prepared to address the growing demand for electricity and changes to water and land quality? What scientific evidence, if any, would you consider when making policy for your Public Power District related to data centers?
“I think we need to proceed with extreme caution on all of this. While there may be opportunity there needs to be the proper guardrails that protect public power and its customers and the effect on natural resources including water. LB 1261 enacted by the 2026 Nebraska Legislature was intended to meet this demand and at the same time shift the risk to private business while maintaining control and protecting ratepayers. We need to make the rules that have guardrails to protect natural resources and the rate structure needs to be segregated so that Nebraskans are not paying higher rates driven by high growth industries.”