Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Danny Orwa’s restaurant was one of many businesses in Norfolk that benefited from doing business with crews in town to build the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town.
Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Renewable projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
Danny Orwa’s restaurant was one of many businesses in Norfolk that benefited from doing business with crews in town to build the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town.
Danny Orwa sensed something was unusual when out-of-town workers kept showing up at his restaurant and coffee bar in downtown Norfolk.
For years, Orwa served mostly locals at his two businesses, The 411 Restaurant & Lounge and Fenders, a popular coffee and cocktail bar. Suddenly, new customers arrived. They were hungry, wanted coffee or a beer and had plenty of cash to spend.
“Every day, like clockwork, they’d come in,” Orwa said. “They dropped a lot of money and made friends with the staff. We got to know them, and they were pretty cool, very appreciative.”
Orwa soon learned that the visitors were out building the Pierce County Energy Center, a solar energy and battery storage project about 15 miles north of town. OPPD, Google and NextEra Energy have joined forces on the project, with plans to generate renewable and sustainable energy starting in 2027.
Boosting the economy
As construction nears an end, local business owners said the venture has provided a big economic boost for Northeast Nebraska. In a rural corner of the state dotted with small towns, the workers needed food, entertainment and a place to sleep.
Once complete, the 420-megawatt solar array and 170-megawatt, four-hour-duration battery storage system will serve both OPPD customers and Google.
At District Table & Tap in Norfolk, owner Andrew McCarthy noticed an uptick in work trucks parked downtown during the regular lunch hour. Downtown Norfolk offers a variety of businesses, including grocery stores, bars, coffee houses, a laundromat and entertainment venues eager to welcome the workers. Some workers rented nearby apartments.
“It’s great having people here from out of town,” McCarthy said. “We’ll take all the business we can get.”
A win-win
Supporters of the Pierce County project said it highlights the importance of new, sustainable energy development in eastern Nebraska. The projects help diversify OPPD’s fast-growing energy portfolio and meet customer demand while strengthening the grid that serves everyone.
“Since construction started on the project, you can’t help but notice the presence of energy trucks around Norfolk,” said Josh Moenning, former Norfolk mayor and director of the renewable energy group New Power Nebraska. “A lot of the workers are staying in hotels or rental properties and eating at restaurants. The economic impact locally has been very positive.”
Moenning said Norfolk saw a similar boom during other local wind projects a few years ago, when an estimated 400 to 600 workers arrived in the area. The city saw an uptick in sales tax revenue, and local construction companies and electricians were hired to assist with the work.
“We don’t always see big capital investments of this size,” Moenning said. “These projects bring a lot of workers and a big injection of cash into the community during the construction phase. It truly does make a difference.”
Small towns, big benefits
Other projects have yielded similar results in even smaller towns.
In 2018, the 320-megawatt Rattlesnake Wind Project in Dixon County drove an increase in sales at local convenience stores and building-supply businesses, said Kevin Connot, an economic development consultant from Walthill.
Connot said a fabrication business he owned at the time earned more than $60,000 for tarp covers made for the project’s construction company. For smaller companies, that much business makes a huge difference.
The town of Wayne saw “a very significant increase in economic activity” as well during construction of the Haystack Wind Farm in the early 2020s, said Cale Giese, renewable energy project development manager at OPPD who served as the city’s mayor and a pizza franchise owner.
Giese said the extra business at his Godfather’s Pizza franchise helped him buy a new $7,000 pizza prep table, and other local companies reported a jump in business.
“The counties that are welcoming these projects are seeing an economic boom,” Giese said.
Tax benefits
Nebraska’s nameplate capacity tax on renewable energy generation also yielded $13.6 million in revenue for counties in 2025, according to the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Wayne County and Antelope County each collected $2.7 million, an increase over previous years. The money supports counties, public schools, fire districts and other local taxing entities.
Back in Norfolk, Orwa said his restaurant also got visits from out-of-state project managers, company executives and consultants who wanted to try Nebraska’s world-famous beef. Many heard about his eatery from word-of-mouth referrals.
“It makes a big difference for us,” he said. “Without these projects around, every restaurant is drawing on the same pool of local customers. When we get out-of-towners, it spreads it all out.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s Tax Day on Wednesday, the deadline for most Americans to file taxes, and the Trump administration says millions of people have already used new breaks such as no tax on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, deductions for some seniors, and Tr…
Listed below is the 24-hour rainfall in inches as of 7 a.m. Thursday in area communities.
Two Republican candidates are seeking the party’s nomination for Nebraska secretary of state in this year’s primary election on Tuesday, May 12.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Ranch is the best-selling salad dressing in America, and it has been since it took the crown from Italian near the close of the 20th century.
DENVER (AP) — Crashes involving about 70 vehicles snarled a section of a snowy Colorado highway and sent eight people to the hospital.
A Pilger couple have been cited following the execution of a search warrant on Wednesday that led to five different types of animals being removed from their property.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices surged last month as the Iran war drove up the cost of energy.
Grant writing workshop
One person died and another was injured in a two-vehicle crash in Duncan on Monday.
WeatherThreat.com Closings
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
