Southwest Public Power District

06/01/2026

Southwest Public Power District has an opening for the position of Journeyman power line worker. Duties include, but are not limited to, maintenance and construction of overhead and underground distribution and sub-transmission facilities. The District operating hours are a compressed work schedule with every other Friday off. After-hours and on-call duty are required. This position requires heavy lifting, pole climbing, and other strenuous activity and working well with other crew members. Must be able to complete associated written and electronic documentation. Must possess a valid Class B CDL and pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol test.

Southwest Public Power District offers an excellent wage and benefit package, including paid vacation, sick leave, paid health insurance, and funded retirement plan. Southwest Public Power District’s headquarters office is in Palisade, Nebraska. The region’s schools, small communities, and recreational opportunities make it a great place to live and raise a family. Interested individuals must email a resume, including job training and three references to: [email protected]. Southwest Public Power District is an equal opportunity employer. Applications due by June 30th, 2026

05/21/2026

Southwest Public Power District will be closed Monday, May 25th in observance of Memorial Day. Normal business hours will resume Tuesday, May 26th. If you need assistance during this time, please call (308)285-3295 to speak with an on-call representative.

05/13/2026

FRANK & BETTY POTTHOFF MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Frank and Betty Potthoff were both formerly employed by SWPPD, and the Potthoff family has generously offered to fund this scholarship as a memorial to them. This $500 per semester scholarship will help a student attend the Utility Line Program at either Northeast Community College or Western Nebraska Community College.

To qualify for the scholarship students must be a high school senior or graduate and reside in the border territory generally served by SWPPD and all towns therein. The applicant must have already applied to be admitted to the Utility Line Program at either college and have been accepted or placed on a waiting list.

To apply for the scholarship, the student must submit a personal essay to SWPPD not more than 350 words in length explaining why they are interested in the Utility Line Program as their course of study. They must also provide their class rank and GPA. If the applicant has graduated high school and is attending college, they must submit college transcripts with their essay.

Applicant essays will be forwarded to a selection committee.

SWPPD would like to award the scholarship to its next recipient for the Fall semester of 2026. Applicants must have their essays submitted by May 31, 2026 in order to be eligible. Please contact Frank Bonini at (308)285-3295, or [email protected], with questions.

05/05/2026

💡 Our electricity is a great value!

An entire day of electricity for a Nebraska homeowner averages just $3.71—less than a latte or a drive-thru value meal. Even as other costs rise, electricity remains a great value.

Visit publicpowered.com and get ENTERED TO WIN a GROW Nebraska gift basket!

05/01/2026

May is Electrical Safety Month. Check out Wayne's video for a few tips to help keep your family safe.

May is Electrical Safety Month. Follow these tips to keep your family safe around electricity.

04/29/2026

Marks your calendars for Monday, May 4th! Gary is retiring after almost 40 years! Please feel free to come and wish Gary well in his next adventure!

04/28/2026

Today, although a little late, we celebrate national "Administrative Professionals Day". In a nutshell, it's a day to recognize the people behind the scenes that do the unnoticed and sometimes unappreciated work. Everything from data entry, cash posting, ordering materials, customer service and even running a forklift (and much more). SWPPD would like to thank these women who help with the daily activities and all for all their hard work. From left to right: Marlene Bedore, Darien Adams, Lori Rousselle, Melissa Sydow, and Christy Helberg. Thank you all!

04/23/2026

Crews are currently responding to an outage affecting customers on the north circuit of our Kitt substation. This area is south of Hamlet and is highlighted on the attached map. Updates will be added to this post as they become available.

04/23/2026

60 MINUTE WARNING

The planned outage for the Village of Wauneta will begin at 8:00AM Mountain Time. Progress updates will be added to this post as they become available.

04/16/2026

Southwest Public Power District will be conducting the second of two planned outages that will affect the city of Wauneta on Thursday, April 23rd, beginning at 8:00AM MDT. The outage is expected to last up to six hours. The contingency date for this outage is Friday, April 24th.
During this outage, SWPPD will work with Watts Electric to restore the original connection to the village substation. This operation will remove the temporary connection that allowed us to rebuild a portion of the normal line that feeds the Wauneta substation.
Updates regarding outage progress can be found on the Southwest Public Power District page, and can also be received via text message. If you would like to receive text message updates, or have questions regarding this outage, please contact Frank at SWPPD by calling (308)285-3295, or Evelyn with the city of Wauneta by calling (308)394-5390.