To supplement our baseload supply from Whelan Energy Center Unit 2 and Laramie River Station, Heartland signed a purchase power agreement with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) to purcahse 45 megawatts (MW) from Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS), located near Brownville, Nebraska. First placed into service in July of 1974, CNS utilizes a boiling water reactor with a generating capacity of 810 MW, which is the largest single-unit electrical generator in the state of Nebraska.

Unlike traditional fossil fuel plants that burn coal, oil or gas, CNS utilizes more compact, longer lasting nuclear fuel to produce electricity. The facility is entirely carbon-free.

Courtesy Nebraska Public Power District

In late 2010, NPPD announced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had approved the extension of the station's operating license to 2034. Heartland's contract with NPPD is scheduled to terminate in 2013.