When the Grand River Dam Authority broke ground on its new 495 megawatt (MW) combined cycle generation facility on January 23, its customers – from all across Oklahoma – were there to take part in the ceremonies.
That was only fitting. After all, GRDA leadership made it clear during the event that the ability to go forward with the construction of this new, efficient electric generation facility was only possible due to the commitment made by GRDA customers over the years.
In his comments, GRDA Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan reminded the crowd that all of the Authority’s municipal customers (including 16 Oklahoma communities) have signed long-term contracts with GRDA; contracts that last through 2042.
“We’re returning that long term commitment by building this facility that will serve us for the next 30 years,” said Sullivan, “and make sure we have the power we need to meet those obligations.”
However, even with those long-term commitments in place, the effort to get the facility from the planning stage to the groundbreaking stage still required a large show of support by GRDA’s customers and according to GRDA Director/Cushing City Manager Steve Spears, that is exactly what took place.
“Our customers expressed to me many times that they wanted a dependable, reliable source of energy that we had control over,” said Spears, who chaired a special committee to explore new generation options. “Something that wasn’t subject to market vulnerability and change. This asset will be paid for by our customers so it’s important that they were a party to this process.”
GRDA began supplying low-cost, reliable electricity to Oklahoma communities and electric cooperatives in the mid-1940s. Through the years, more and more wholesale customers partnered with GRDA and today, the majority of its partnerships with wholesale customers are over 60 years old. Though it has been over three decades since the Authority last broke ground on a new generation asset (coal fired units in the late 1970s), many of these same customers were there as well, to support the efforts that would continue to bring GRDA’s “power for progress” to their communities and service areas.
The story of GRDA is really the story of these long-term relationships. They are what allow GRDA to continue its electricity, economic development and environmental stewardship mission for decades to come.
Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. GRDA’s low-cost, reliable power touches 75 of 77 counties in the state and serves as an important economic development engine for Oklahoma. At no cost to Oklahoma taxpayers, GRDA also manages 70,000 surface acres of lakes in the state, including Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the W.R. Holway Reservoir. Today, GRDA’s 500 employees continue to produce the same “power for progress” that has benefited the state for 75 years. The efforts of Team GRDA facilitate over $450 million in economic activity in Oklahoma annually.
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