- OPPD confirms Unit 5 was taken offline after a steam tube failure — an issue the utility says can occur as equipment ages. Units 4 and 5 are the last two coal-burning units at the North Omaha Power Station and date back to the 1960s.
- McKinney says he first learned about the incident through KMTV’s reporting and argues that North Omaha residents deserve quicker, clearer communication — especially when safety and public trust are at stake.
- The senator says the failure highlights broader concerns about reliability, health, and long-term planning — and he plans to continue pushing OPPD to accelerate retirement of coal units and be more open with the community during the transition.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I first reported about a steam tube failure inside one of the coal units at the North Omaha Power Station — a tip that led us to learn the unit had been taken offline.
Now, I’m speaking with North Omaha State Senator Terrell McKinney about what happened, why he wants more transparency from OPPD, and what he hopes to see moving forward.
McKinney says he first learned about the incident after a tipster messaged me Monday night, saying there had been what he called an explosion inside Unit 5.
“It shows that they have a pattern of not being transparent with the North Omaha community… and waiting until the last minute to give any information to the community,” McKinney said.After receiving the message and video, I reached out to OPPD. The utility confirmed there was a steam tube failure — something they say can happen as equipment ages.
Units 4 and 5 are the last two units at the North Omaha Power Station still burning coal and date back to the 1960s.
“It’s a high concern because as everyone knows those coal units are very old and at the end of their life cycle,” McKinney said.McKinney told me he learned about the accident from KMTV’s reporting and says the situation doesn’t help ongoing tensions between North Omaha residents and OPPD.
He says he plans to keep pushing conversations about the utility’s transition from coal to natural gas and to continue advocating for transparency and accountability.
OPPD says no one was hurt, and the incident is still under investigation as crews work to bring Unit 5 back online.
Near John J. Pershing Drive — I’m Melissa Wright.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
