Heartland signed a Purchase Power Agreement with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), effective in 2004, to purchase 45 megawatts from Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS), located near Hastings.  First placed into service in July 1974, CNS operates the largest single-unit electrical generator in the state of Nebraska.

Unlike traditional fossil fuel plants that burn coal, oil or gas, CNS utilizes nuclear fuel, a more compact, longer lasting fuel, to produce electricity.  The carbon-free facility has a net generating capacity of 791 megawatts.  In comparison, it would take 10,000 tons of coal or one million gallons of oil to match this output.

CNS' operating license is currently set to expire January 18, 2014.  NPPD filed a license renwal application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in September 2008 for a 20 year extension.  The application contains engineering, safety and environmental reviews along with the corrective action planning tasks needed to continue operation.  NPPD's current campaign, POWR4 20MOR, provides up-to-date information regarding the license renewal process.