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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Drake Rice, OMPA Director of Member Services
OMPA Receives 2014 Public Power Wind Award
On June 17, the U.S. Department of Energy, together with the American Public Power Association (APPA), presented David Osburn, Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) General Manager, with the 2014 Public Power Wind Award.
The award, presented at the APPA National Conference in Denver, Colorado, recognizes publicly owned utilities that demonstrate outstanding leadership in advancing wind power in the United States. OMPA joins 17 other utilities that have received this award over the past 12 years through a partnership between the APPA and the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
OMPA received the award for steadily building its renewable energy portfolio in an effort to support our members’ green power initiatives. More than a decade ago, OMPA became the first commercial power company to offer wind power to municipal customers in Oklahoma.
In September 2003, the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center became the first operational utility-scale wind project in the state. OMPA purchases 51-megawatts of rated wind energy from the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center, which is located along the Harper and Woodward County lines.
OMPA also purchases 49.2-megawatts of wind energy from the Canadian Hills Wind Farm near El Reno. The Canadian Hills Wind Farm began commercial operations in December 2012, and is the largest wind farm in Oklahoma. In 2013, OMPA purchased more than 308,000-megawatt hours of wind generating energy. This brings our wind energy generation to approximately 10% of our total annual power production.
The criteria used to judge the nominees include high performing executive leadership, creative marketing approaches, project innovation and benefits to customers. A panel of experts from the wind industry, government, the Energy Department’s national laboratories and public power agencies selected this year’s winners from nominations from across the county.
Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) is a joint-action agency created for the purpose of providing an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of electrical power and energy to Oklahoma’s municipally owned electric systems. The Authority presently serves 39 municipally owned electric systems in Oklahoma. As a consumer-owned public power entity, OMPA is owned by the member cities it serves.
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