The City of Cozad board of public works department is among (4) entities NMPP selected for the...
Midwest Electric Cooperative Corporation earns an “Industry Pioneer Award” in recognition of continuous reliability initiatives, including implementation of the largest thermal inspection.
Located in Grant Nebraska and responsible for over 3,000 miles of line, Midwest Electric serves customers in Perkins, Keith, Chase, Hayes, and Lincoln counties with only 31 employees!
In 2022 Midwest participated in a pilot program to validate the effectiveness of vehicle-based inspection technology pioneered by Fast Forward. The program was so successful, the board approved implementing the technology in 2023 system-wide, in a proactive effort to curb power outage and wildfire potential.
“This proactive initiative, is the largest thermal patrol ever completed in Nebraska, and nationally to our knowledge” stated Dusty, CEO of Fast Forward. Dusty said, "early indications show we can save MEC over $200K in savings, with a significant dent on wildfire potential."
The technology specifically identifies components that are failing, but haven’t failed yet…giving utilities a head start on any procurement and repair initiatives. Component failures can emit sparks, that can trigger a wildfire….so by preventing the failure all together…directly reduces wildfire potential.
Among other system hardening initiatives being deployed at Midwest Electric, they continue to raise the bar in pursuit of safely providing reliable power and high-quality service to their cooperative members in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Learn more about how Fast Forward prevents outages and wildfires at an unprecedented rate here: Video
